Doctoral students of the Institute of Folklore of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) made online presentations at the First International Turkic World Student Symposium, the academic event dedicated to the scholarly study of the common cultural heritage of the Turkic world. The symposium, in which the Institute of Folklore participated as one of the partner institutions, was hosted by Balikesir University.

Elfane Jafarchiyeva, a doctoral student at the Institute, presented the report entitled “The Protection of the Sacred Order: Sin, Taboo, and the Mechanism of Punishment in Legends”. Her presentation examined the role of legends as carriers of collective ethical memory, the mechanisms for preserving sacred values and the functional-semantic dimensions of the concepts of sin, taboo and punishment within folklore texts.

In the study it was mentioned that punishment motifs associated with the violation of taboos extend beyond individual behavior and function as mechanisms of collective memory that safeguard the moral boundaries of society and preserve the sacred order.

The other doctoral student, Aytakin Zeynalova, delivered a presentation entitled “Issues Concerning the Collection and Publication of Traditional Games in the Folklore of Nakhchivan”. Her report addressed the importance of collecting, studying, publishing and transmitting the traditional folk games of the Nakhchivan region to future generations. She noted that traditional games play a significant role in preserving national and spiritual values, historical memory and cultural heritage. The presentation also highlighted the importance of systematically documenting, digitizing and introducing these materials into academic circulation.

Amil Azimli, the doctoral student at the Institute of Folklore, presented a report on the folkloric and historical continuity of the “Alp Woman” archetype in Turkic epic thought. His presentation analyzed the codes of female heroism originating in mythological and epic memory had been transformed in real life and how these female figures had become expressions of the collective spirit in folk songs and epic narratives.

The symposium served as an important platform for strengthening academic cooperation among young researchers and fostering the development of new directions in folklore and cultural studies.