Faculty members of Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University visited the Institute of Folklore of ANAS to collect information on traditional Azerbaijani games and sports as part of the research project entitled “Field Research on Traditional Sports Games”.

The university delegation, comprising Dr. Ulanbek Alimov and Siymik Arstanbekov, met with Doctor of Sciences in Philology, Director of the Institute of Folklore Hikmat Guliyev. The meeting was also attended by Doctor of Sciences in Philology, Associate Professor, the senior researcher at the Department of Ritual Folklore and National Culinary Traditions of the Institute of Folklore Galib Sayilov.

During the meeting Hikmat Guliyev briefed the guests about the main areas of activity, recent theoretical and methodological developments in contemporary folklore studies and research conducted within the framework of social and anthropological approaches to folklore of the Institute of Folklore.

Director of the Institute also provided information on research into the transformation of folklore in today’s technological and communicative environment, processes of digitalization and the relationship between artificial intelligence and folklore. It was noted that the new technological environment necessitates the development of new approaches to the mechanisms through which folklore was created, disseminated, transformed and re-contextualized.

Particular attention was also paid to the study of the traditional games and sports culture of the Azerbaijani people from the perspective of folklore studies. Hikmat Guliyev gave the guests detailed information about the Institute’s collection and research activities related to folk games, open-air performances and traditional public games, as well as various examples of traditional games. He also spoke about conferences and projects carried out in this field.

The meeting included an exchange of views on the origins and functional characteristics of traditional games and sports, their geographical distribution, performance contexts, socio-cultural functions, preservation within traditional memory, and their continued practice in contemporary conditions. The participants also discussed the objectives of the “Field Research on Traditional Sports Games” project, the study of Azerbaijani traditional games on the basis of field materials and opportunities for future academic cooperation in this area.

At the end of the meeting Hikmat Guliyev presented the books published by the Institute of Folklore.