Publishing important works of Kazakh scholar in English for first time
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Publishing important works of Kazakh scholar in English for first time
On 15 December 2020, Cambridge and the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the UK, with the support of the Chokan Valikhanov Institute of History and Ethnology and the Akimat of the Kostanay Region, launched the first ever English-language collection of the selected works of Chokan Valikhanov.
The launch was hosted by Cambridge Partnership for Education Head of Global Engagement Annie Michailidou at London’s Royal Geographical Society, and shared online with people around the world. The audience heard contributions from His Excellency Erlan Idrissov, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the UK; Professor Ziyabek Kabuldinov, Director of the Chokan Valikhanov Institute; translator Dr Arch Tait; editor and writer Nick Fielding and Cambridge Partnership for Education Managing Director Jane Mann.
The collection presents the most important scholarly works of Valikhanov, one of the greatest Kazakh scholars of the 19th century. They explore the geography, history, ethnology and economics of Central Asia, and fill an important gap for English-language speaking readers researching the history of the region.
“It is hard to overstate the importance of Valikhanov for the history and culture of not only Kazakhstan, but also those of Central Asia. His writings shed light on many aspects of the life of the peoples of this significant region. And today we present the collection of works by Valikhanov translated for the first time since four of his works were published in English in 1865,” shared His Excellency Ambassador Idrissov in his opening speech at the hybrid launch.
Jane Mann, Managing Director, Cambridge Partnership for Education, said: “We’re proud to support this project not only as an academic publisher, but as a partner of Kazakhstan in education and learning. Across the last ten years, our partnership with Kazakhstan has covered the full span of Cambridge, from our teaching and research departments to assessment and publishing. We’ve worked together on a number of significant cultural milestones, including launching the first-ever complete English-language volume of the works of Abai Kunanbaiuly just last month. In addition, we’ve supported the development of a new Kazakh education system, building long-standing relationships with the Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools and training Kazakh in-house staff in educational publishing.”
