Kazakh Research Institute of Culture (KazRIC)
History
The Kazakh Research Institute of Culture (KazRIC), established November 10th, 1934, was one of the first scientific institutions in Kazakhstan. Originally, it united several scientific and educational organizations: the Kazakh Central Archive, the Regional Museum, the Regional Bureau and the State Library.
The Institute organized the first academic research into the history, archeology, literature, folklore, linguistic ties of the Turkic people, fine art, music, theater, and choreography of Kazakhstan. This marked the beginning of the development of a number of the largest Kazakhstani research organizations based on KazRIC and these organizations remain the foundation of academic science to this day. Among them are the Institute of Literature and Art named after M. Auezov and the Institute of History and Ethnology named after Sh. Ualikhanov and others.
KazRIC today
Today, the institute is one of the leading scientific organizations of the country. The main profile is fundamental and applied scientific research on the culture and art of Kazakhstan and its closest territories. Among the scientific staff of the Institute are leading scientists and experts in humanitarian knowledge, film directors and screenwriters, designers, and creators. Their various activities in the promotion of cultural heritage and intercultural dialogue are honored by state and public awards, prizes, and diplomas of art competitions and cinema festivals.
KazRIC’s mission
The institutes mission is an intense systematic analysis of culture and art in accordance with the concept cultural policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, ad integration into world culture and effective international cooperation.
Partners of KazRIC
The Institute works with authoritative organizations such as UNESCO, ICOMOS, ICHKAP, TURKSOY, IICAS, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY and others. We have partnerships with the Smithsonian Institution (USA), the New York Academy of Motion Picture Arts (USA), the State Hermitage Museum (Russia), the Nae Leonard Musical Theater (Romania), the Ban Ki-moon Sustainable Development Institute, the Italian Design Institute (Italy), the Association of National Museums of France (France) and others.
Publications of KazRIC
Every year the Institute publishes more than 500 copies of 100 pieces of scientific material. These publications include monographs, collections of scientific and analytical articles, collections of international conferences, and atlases. The most significant of these include “Early nomads of the Zhayik - Irtysh interfluve in the VIII-VI centuries B.C.E”, “Kent a city of the Bronze Age in the center of the Kazakh steppes”, “Animalistic universe of Kazakh culture in the diagram of eras. Monograph”, “World of Nomad. Myths of the great steppe. Kazakh etiquette”, “Integration of the culture of Kazakhstan into the world cultural world: dynamics and vectors”, “Cultural landscape as an object of heritage”, “CODEX CUMANICUS: Polovets prayers, hymns and riddles of the XIII-XIV centuries” and many others. Publications are distributed to libraries and analog digital resources reach a wide readership.
Scientific projects of KazRIC
In recent years, the institute has implemented more than 15 research projects, among them the “Archaeological study of the Kulan settlement”, “The archaeological study of the Otrar and the Otrar Oasis”, “Sary-Arka in the Bronze Age: the study of the problems of cultural genesis”, “The archaeological study of The Golden Horde’s Mintobe settlement”, “Ancient and Middle age stones of Sary-Arka”,“Traditional animalistic images and motifs in the art and culture of Kazakh nomads (antiquity, medieval and modern times)” and etc.
One of the most significant and global projects of the institute in capacity building of the Great Silk Road is the Kultobe settlement project (2019-2021) under the sponsorship of Eurasian Resources Group (ERG). The final result will be the creation of a unique open-air archaeological park “Kultobe Settlement” that demonstrates the most important stages of the history of Kazakhstan in the context of influence and enrichment of cultures on the Great Silk Road.
KazRIC’s activities
KazRIC predominantly engages in historical and archaeological research of the most ancient multi-temporal monuments of Kazakhstan, the study of material and nonmaterial cultural heritage, cultural clusters and the film industry, cultural and sacred tourism methodology, production of pop-science and documentary films, and brand book design etc.
The institute has its own science-publishing platform with an academic format, the journal “Almanac Мәдениет. Культура. Culture”. The priority is to showcase the results of modern scientific research in actual problems of history, archeology, ethnography, culture and art.
Materials are published in three languages: Kazakh, Russian and English.
Detailed information about the Kazakh Research Institute of Culture can be found on the official website https://www.cultural.kz and on social media: Facebook and Instagram. The Kazakh Research Institute of Culture welcome everyone for cooperation to implement scientific and applied projects for the sustainable development of cultures and intercultural dialogue on the modern Silk Road.
The institute organizes and manages many international art exhibitions developing culture and art. Among them are the international exhibitions "In Search of Shambhala: masterpieces from the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York" (2017), "Masterpieces of Russian Art from private collections of the USA" (2017), "Cultural and Historical Exhibition of the Silk Road Countries by UNESCO Classification" (2017) etc.
