The scientific conference on the theme “Karabakh tradition and modern era in Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences” dedicated to the 80^th anniversary of ANAS was held at Karabakh University jointly organized by the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences.

Director of the Institute of Folklore of ANAS, Associate Professor Hikmat Guliyev made a speech on the theme “Karabakh folklore: re-actualization of folklore memory in the context of the Great Return”. Reviewing the main goals and priority areas of the “I State Program on the Great Return to the Liberated Territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan”, the scientist mentioned that the state program has set goals such as ensuring sustainable settlement of the population, restoring the infrastructure of the liberated territories, developing social services and human capital, protecting cultural heritage and developing tourism.

Looking at the problems, Associate Professor Hikmat Guliyev noted that the re-actualization of collective memory mechanisms would play an important role in the cultural and spiritual restoration of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur. Emphasizing the need to approach the issue methodologically, in the context of social-anthropological folklore, semiotics of space-human relations and ethnocultural specifics of sacred spaces, the scientist shared his thoughts on collective cultural memory and models of its re-actualization. The scientist noted that cultural memory, which was a component of collective memory, actually involves the “transmission of meaning”, a collective memory related to behavior, thought, communication and objects. At the end of the report the scientist noted the potential opportunities of Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur folklore samples, especially collective knowledge facts related to space, in restoring and reviving cultural memory.