Since 2025, the Davis Center has been engaged in an ambitious international program to preserve, catalog, and digitize Kazakhstan's rich manuscript heritage. It is led by RSE "Gylym Ordasy," a research institution established to consolidate Kazakhstan's scientific potential and heir to the collections of the Soviet Academy of Sciences. The consortium also includes two major Kazakhstani universities: the Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University and Astana IT University, each bringing specialized expertise to the effort.
Ainur Abish, Associate Professor, KIMEP University, Almaty, Kazakhstan: "Specificity and Accusative Case Marking in Kazakh."
This talk examines the role of specificity in accusative case marking in Kazakh, drawing on joint research with Juldyz Smagulova. Using examples from contemporary Kazakh, I discuss how the interpretation of direct objects depends on lexical properties, sentence structure, and discourse context. Particular attention is given to the distinction between specificity and definiteness and to constructions in which accusative marking is obligatory.
Azamat Nurshanov, Deputy General Director, RSE "Gylym Ordasy," Almaty, Kazakhstan: "Kazakhstan’s Manuscript Heritage: From Preservation to Digital Humanities the Scientific and Research Infrastructure of Gylym Ordasy."
This study examines the pivotal role of the "Gylym Ordasy" Scientific Complex in safeguarding, researching, and disseminating Kazakhstan’s documentary and intellectual history. Central to this enterprise is the research infrastructure surrounding its unique repository of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and National Literature. The paper addresses the systemic methodologies employed in the conservation, codicological description, restoration, and high-resolution digitization of primary sources, with particular attention to Arabic- and Persian-script codices, Qur’anic manuscripts, and the poetic legacy of Makhambet Utemisuly.
Accessibility
The Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact us at 617-495-4037 or daviscenter@fas.harvard.edu in advance of your participation or visit. Requests for Sign Language interpreters and/or CART providers should be made at least two weeks in advance if possible. Please note that the Davis Center will make every effort to secure services but that services are subject to availability.
