Ashirbek Muminov
A leading scholar and writer on Islam in Central Asia, Ashirbek Muminov arrived in Bloomington for the second time this past September. Currently the Director of the Kazakh Academy of Sciences’ Department of Eastern Studies, Dr. Muminov has for years been at the forefront of research conducted on Islam’s place in Central Asia, whether in Russia, the US, or in the region itself. As a Fulbright scholar and researcher attached to the Department of Central Eurasian Studies, Dr. Muminov has also dedicated his time here at Indiana University to these goals, working to finish up a series of articles and books and putting to full use the academic and archival resources available on the IUB campus. These efforts have paid off, with Dr. Muminov’s most recent work, The Genealogical Tree of Mukhtar Aezov, published in November 2011.
On a recent afternoon Dr. Muminov was kind enough to find time in his busy schedule to sit down with the IAUNRC e-News and chat about his experiences in America, Indiana University, and the differences he has noticed in life here when compared to Kazakhstan or elsewhere.
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IAUNRC: What have you found surprising so far while living in America? Has anything changed since your last visit to Bloomington in 1996-1997?
Muminov: By and large the country hasn’t changed. This time through, however, I have spent a longer amount of time in the USA, and certain things have struck me more: volunteer movements, for example, or the philanthropic efforts of churches. The level to which people desire to help others and demonstrate kindness, when compared to other countries, does often impress.
Not too long ago I spent some time in the city of Birmingham in Alabama, where I was at a Fulbright Research Conference. Representatives from around the world attended, and one Indian academic expressed a point of view about life in America that I would agree with fully. He noted that the way society is structured in America tends to direct an individual towards systematic, creative, and important labors, insofar as one always knows that such labors are rewarded. Secondly, he remarked on the orderly and honest character of society, and finally on the overlap between declared ethical norms and the actual rules governing social order.
IAUNRC: You were able to come to Bloomington with your family and children. How have your children adjusted to American schools and life here? Is there anything that they have particularly enjoyed, or alternatively found difficult to adapt to?
Muminov: More than anything we have been impressed by Americans’ approach to children. Children’s safety, their health, and concern for their future – these are Americans’ real values. Our children have received especial help at school when it comes to mastering the English language; I have really been pleased by this. Children, of course, get used to nice things very quickly, and here they have made many friends at school, we too have become friends with their parents.
IAUNRC: As an already established and well known scholar in your field, why did you choose to participate in the Fulbright program? What resources in particular have made Indiana University valuable to your research?
Muminov: Fulbright interested me insofar as it provides researchers with the opportunity to fully realize their plans and projects, and to expand their coordinative efforts with leading American universities, research centers, and academics. When I applied to Fulbright, I had a concrete, exact plan in mind: I was facing some issues in terms of access to world literatures and primary sources. Now, however, the conditions for my research are ideal – you can work here twenty-four hours a day if you want!
So I’ve been trying to finish up as many books and articles as possible. Indiana University’s document collections, microfilms, manuscripts, magazine and academic articles, book collections, as well as the highly qualified professors and librarians with whom one can consult – all of this eases and assists my research. I was also able to visit Princeton University and to work there with the collection of Eastern Manuscripts. Following this trip I have begun to work out the idea of writing a new article entitled “The Value of American Manuscript Collections for the Study of Islamic Culture in Kazakhstan.”
IAUNRC: Other than research and writing, how have you been spending your time in Bloomington? Is there anything in particular from the last year that you have enjoyed that you would want to share with the IAUNRC e-News’ readers?
Muminov: Other than research, I frequently go out into town with my family and have tried to get to know different Americans, representatives of the different cultures than have arrived here in the hospitible land of America, and to learn about many of the local sights. In particular, we’ve really enjoyed Bloomington’s natural beauty: spring here is lovely, and the trees bloom very prettily. My wife has named Bloomington “Gulistan,” which means “the land of flowers.”
