Abstract

This presentation introduces a book prepared by the research platform “Eсимде”, dedicated to the 110th anniversary of the Urkun (1916), one of the most significant and traumatic events in the history of Central Asia.

The book focuses on memory practices related to Urkun and explores how these events are preserved, interpreted, and transmitted in contemporary Kyrgyzstani society. It brings together research articles, oral histories, and analyses of memorial initiatives, educational practices, and local forms of commemoration.

Particular attention is given to the following questions:

• How is collective memory of Urkun constructed?

• What role do family histories and oral testimonies play?

• How do academic narratives interact with public memory?

• What are the contemporary forms of commemoration (monuments, rituals, museums, educational projects)?

• What ethical and methodological challenges arise when working with a traumatic past?

The presentation will also reflect on the process of producing the book as a collaborative research project involving historians, scholars, and practitioners of public history.

This talk will be relevant for scholars of memory studies, historians, anthropologists, and anyone interested in commemoration, trauma, and public history in the post-Soviet space.