Letters from HUAP (until 2024)
Dr. Gulmira Sultangalieva
The first thing that came to my mind when I received the offer to become a Hokkaido University Ambassador was a feeling of honor and pleasant surprise. As an Ambassador, I want to contribute to collaboration between Hokkaido University and al-Farabi Kazakh National University, so that more people from Kazakhstan will become acquainted with the history and culture of Japan, and also with initiatives to develop curricula for foreign students at Hokkaido University, and facilitate the invitation of students and scholars from Hokkaido University to KazNU.
It is well known that Hokkaido University is an active participant in the international scientific community. Evidence of this can be found by looking at the Slavic Eurasian Research Center, which conducts specialized, interdisciplinary, comparativist studies on the history of empires, the Soviet Union, the post-Soviet space, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe. This Center is the initiator of the organization of scientific conferences, seminars with the involvement of leading scientists of the world, publications of scientific monographs in the areas of research center. I participated in the Foreign Visitors Fellowship Program, which gave me the opportunity to work in the Center for nine months from July 2007 to April 2008. I took part in the wonderful scientific Winter International Symposium “Asiatic Russia: Imperial Power in Regional and International Contexts” and related seminars, consulted with Japanese scientists like professors Tomohiko Uyama, Kimitaki Matsuzato, Norihiro Naganawa, and many others. I had the opportunity to present the results of my research at the annual session of the Association of Researchers on Russian History.
I am pleased to hear of the opening of the Hokkaido University Moscow Office, as I believe that this is an important step in establishing cooperation between Hokkaido University and universities not only in the Russian Federation, but also in the entire post-Soviet space, including Kazakhstan. I hope that this center will become a local meeting place of leading scientists of the post-Soviet space, to promote academic mobility of students, teachers, and scholars.
My first impression of the city of Sapporo was immediately expressed in one phrase: how could Sapporo have so much in common with the cultural capital of modern Kazakhstan, Almaty? Mountain panoramas, gardens, groves, boulevards, air saturated with the smell of flowers, and wide streets are just some of the similarities. The history of the development of these cities also has many similar points: both are young cities, the development of which began in the second half of the nineteenth century. The most surprising thing is that they are located at the same coordinate of northern latitude – 43°.
Finally, I am thankful to Hokkaido University for trusting me for the appointment as an HU Ambassador. I believe that Happiness comes out of contentment, and contentment always comes out of service, so serving as an HU Ambassador is a great honor for me.
Celebration of “Nauryz” in KazNU. al-Farabi. Horseback Falconry with a golden eagle is a cultural symbol for the Kazakh people. Nauryz is the Persian New Year, the day of the vernal equinox.
The campus of KazNU is located in a picturesque place in the foothills of the Zailiyskiy Alatau, the center of culture in Almaty.
The Triumphal Arch of Al-Farabi KazNU Alumni “Mangilik el” was opened in 2017. “Mangilik el” is the idea of a people who live observing history, the present and the future.
Professor Sultangalieva and scholars from Japan including HU’s Slavic-Eurasian Research Center. (September 8, 2018).
