At the Cultural and Social Crossroads of Historic and Modern Uzbekistan

The Moynihan Institute along with the Central Asia and Caucasus Initiative is proud to host Mark E. Reese, president and CEO of Suhbat, LLC, as he formally opens the exhibition celebrating the culture of Uzbekistan at Bird Library.

As part of CACI’s larger effort to raise awareness about Central Asia’s historical and contemporary significance, Reese discusses the 20 years of work in, and scholarship on, Uzbekistan, that he drew upon to translate Abdullah Qodiriy’s “O’tkan Kunlar,” the first full-length novel in the Uzbek language, into English as “Bygone Days“ (Bowker, 2019).  In his discussion, Reese emphasizes the importance of historical attention, immersive ethnography and linguistic nuance to the work of the novel’s translation while incorporating cultural artifacts currently on display at Bird Library. These artifacts are part of the Uzbekistan Cultural Exhibition, resulting from mutual agreements between Syracuse University and partners in Uzbekistan.

Reese’s talk aims to provide a platform for engagement between the Syracuse University community and Central Asian diaspora living in the Syracuse area. Such engagements have grown increasingly important since the ambassador of Uzbekistan visited Syracuse University in 2019, leading to a marked increase in students from and partnerships involving Central Asia.

The exhibition will be on display from April 15 until May 15 at Bird Library.