15
Oct
Category: contemplations
07
Mar
First Czechs and Slovaks in Kyrgyzstan – Interhelpo project
The first contact between Central Europe and Kyrgyzstan (excluding ephemeral travelers) was the Interhelpo project – a communist project of enthusiasts who left Czechoslovakia in an effort to help the newly formed Soviet Union. Read more about First Czechs and Slovaks in Kyrgyzstan – Interhelpo project …
12
May
Photos by Stephen Graham – Kyrgyzstan before the Great War
Stephen Graham was a British journalist and traveler writing for “The Times” and “Country life” spending his early adult years in Central Asia (“Turkestan”). From the bunch of works he published before and during the Great War three are most interesting from my point of view: A Vagabond in the Caucasus (1911), , Undiscovered RussiaRead more about Photos by Stephen Graham – Kyrgyzstan before the Great War[…]
08
Mar
Some reflections on colonialism – the case of Kyrgyzstan.
In his famous book “Modern Times: A History of the World from the 1920s to the 1980s“, Paul Johnson made some interesting reflections on colonialism and the “white man’s burden”. He argues that a simple and cheap interpretation of colonialism as a tool for vacuuming resources from underdeveloped landscapes does not reflect reality – in many cases colonies were more prestigious and some colonies were even the target of large-scale infrastructure investments – such as railways in India, Congo roads, ports in Malaysia etc… Read more about Some reflections on colonialism – the case of Kyrgyzstan. …
23
Jan
Aerial visit above Akhburinskoe gorodishche
In the middle of the urban agglomeration, in the heart of the green oasis of the Akh-Buura River, there is an archaeological fairy tale. Read more about Aerial visit above Akhburinskoe gorodishche …
27
Dec
A Short History of Tractors in Kyrgyzstan
There are only a few topics, which are historians of Eastern countries attracted, especially the history and deployment of tractors in agricultural practice. The electrification of the country and the industrialization of agriculture were tangible (and perhaps the only successful) projects of the monstrous socio-economic engineering of Soviet tsarism. Not surprisingly, in many post-Soviet museums,Read more about A Short History of Tractors in Kyrgyzstan[…]
11
Dec
Corners of local archeology 02. “Clearly Slavs…”
I studied archeology at three Central European universities, and although the curricula differ, some traditions of German empirical research are constant: the designation of Kosinna’s Siedlungsarchaeologie as the invention of the devil and the belief in the study of material shard culture as the bearer of civilization and ethnicity. Perhaps there is no more paradoxRead more about Corners of local archeology 02. “Clearly Slavs…”[…]
06
Dec
Corners of local archeology 01. To have or not to have catalogues.
One of the problems that one realizes only in the place itself (in this case, in the Kyrgyz Osh) is the absolute luxury we have at home, in a landscape where the tradition and history of local research has led to the creation of a detailed network of knowledge of material culture. In the CzechRead more about Corners of local archeology 01. To have or not to have catalogues.[…]
25
Nov
First impressions from Central Asia
So what does it mean to be in Asia for dummy european scientist sitting on the Danube bank so far? Dust and donkeys? Bazaars and tea? Car horns? Read more about First impressions from Central Asia …