Monthly Archives: August 2018

PIAC Prize For Altaic Studies

Dear Reader,

The 61st Annual Meeting of the PIAC witnessed the inauguration of a new PIAC Medal, as the colloquial name goes, in recognition of and succession to the Indiana University Prize for Altaic Studies. It was decided during the 60th Meeting of the PIAC Székesfehérvár (Hungary), 2017, that the PIAC now endows its own medal, baptized The PIAC Prize for Altaic Studies.

This medal is cast in sterling silver, features an artistic rendering of the famous PIAC logo and was created by German sculptor Frank Förster to whom we express our deepest appreciation for his outstanding work.

The procedure of finding a suitable candidate for the medal is conducted in time-honoured fashion by a medal committee which consists, ex officio, of Secretary General and President of the PIAC, and three members annually chosen by secret ballot during the business meeting.

The first recipient of the new PIAC Medal is Dieter Maue (Germany).

Oliver Corff, Bishkek, August 30, 2018.

Proceedings of 58th Annual Meeting, 2015 Available

Dear Reader,

During the Confessions of the 61st Annual Meeting of the PIAC, Mihály Dobrovits, President of the 58th Annual Meeting of the PIAC, held in Dunajská Streda (Slovakia) 6 – 11 September 2015, announced that the Proceedings of said Meeting are now available. They were published in Türk Dilleri Araştırmaları 28, 2018. The homepage of the journal invites readers to preview in two portions: 28-1 covers the first nine articles, 28-2 covers another seven articles.

Oliver Corff, Bishkek, August 30, 2018.

Opening Ceremony of the 61st Annual Meeting of the PIAC

The Opening Ceremony of the 61st Annual Meeting of the PIAC took place on Monday, August 27, at the splendid setting of the State Residence of the Kyrgyz Republic, No. 1, under the most benevolent blue sky.

The President of Kyrgyz Republic, Jeenbekov Sooronbay, gave the welcome speech on behalf of the Kyrgyz Republic, followed by Darkhan Kydyraly, President of the International Turkic Academy (Kazakhstan), and the Secretary General of the Permanent International Altaistic Conference, Prof. Dr. Barbara Kellner-Heinkele.

Besides the long-standing family of PIAC members, this meeting gathered a large number of regional scholars, and with approx. 180 participants, this year’s meeting is certainly one of the biggest in the history of the PIAC.

Altaic studies in general and the PIAC in particular enjoy a high reputation in Kyrgyzstan; not only the opening of the conference, but also the following academical activities were extensively covered by national and international media, e.g. the BBC’s Kyrgyz service.

Oliver Corff, August 29th, 2018, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.