Zhambyl and Topical Issues of the Contemporary Era

On October 2, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University hosted the international scientific and theoretical conference “Zhambyl and Topical Issues of the Contemporary Era,” dedicated to the 180th anniversary of the birth of the great akyn Zhambyl Zhabayev.The international academic event was attended by Zhanseit Kanseitovich Tuymebayev, Rector of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, university scholars, Kazakhstani and international literary scholars, folklorists, Turkologists, cultural studies researchers, and representatives of the academic and intellectual community.The conference was organized by the Zhambyl Research Center for Philological Studies, established under the Department of Kazakh Literature and Literary Theory of the Faculty of Philology at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.The scientific forum focused on Zhambyl Zhabayev’s creative legacy and current issues in Zhambyl studies. Participants exchanged views on the study of the akyn’s poetry through contemporary scholarly approaches, the historical, cultural, literary, and aesthetic significance of his works, as well as new directions for studying Zhambyl’s legacy within the modern academic and educational process.An important part of the conference was the presentation of the five-volume scholarly publication “Zhambyl Studies,” prepared by Kazakhstani scholars during the years of Independence. The multi-volume edition brings together major scholarly studies of the akyn’s creative legacy and reflects significant stages in the formation and development of Zhambyl studies.Volumes 2 and 3 of the publication include scholarly articles by faculty members of the Department of Kazakh Literature and Literary Theory of the Faculty of Philology at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, dedicated to Zhambyl’s creative work. This demonstrates the significant contribution of the Department’s scholars to the study of the great akyn’s legacy and the development of Zhambyl studies in Kazakhstan.The conference continued with a plenary session and scholarly section meetings. The sectional discussions examined Zhambyl’s legacy from historical and cultural, literary and theoretical, and contemporary scholarly perspectives. Particular attention was given to the artistic features of the akyn’s work, its folkloric origins, its connection with the national worldview, its place in the literary process, and current approaches to the study of his creative heritage in the humanities.The conference provided an opportunity to examine Zhambyl’s legacy through contemporary scholarly approaches, address key issues in Zhambyl studies, and identify new directions for further research into the creative work of the great akyn.

Department of Kazakh Literature and Literary Theory, Faculty of Philology