COMPILING A CONTEMPORARY “CENTRAL ASIAN” LITERARY CANON: PERSPECTIVES FROM NORTH AMERICAN SCHOLARSHIP

Abstract

This article seeks to outline the current state of North American scholarship on prose, poetry and theatre works from Central Asia. Firstly, it will explain how the term “Central Asia” is defined by various institutions and university departments: what languages is Central Asian literature written in, what territorial expanse does it describe? We will consider such questions with reference to contemporary theories of diaspora and linguistic deterritorialization as well as to historiography of the region. Next, the article will describe the historical trajectory of Central Asian cultural studies in the leading North American universities, and offer an overview of its current key players, as well as the supra-institutional academic societies that foster the study of Central Asian literature today. Finally, the growing importance of Central Asian literature to the broader disciplines of world literature and comparative literature will be assessed. The author highlights what scholars contributed to Central Asian literature studies. The theoretical significance based on a critical analysis of North American Central Asian literature studies will provide understanding what perspectives and problems occur in the field of Central Asian literature studies in North American universities. The practical significance is that the findings can be used in different courses related to the problem of Central Asian literature studies abroad.