VPS September – Batu: Historical Detective

Event Language: English

When: September 30, 2022
Time: 8 pm ULAT, 8 am EST, 2 pm GMT +2
Online event Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82706143183?pwd=S1NTTFY0ZkVZdGpESnUxcmFPU2tDZz09

In this new documentary film by director Rachid Nugmanov, Chinggis Khan’s favorite grandson, Batu investigates the mystery of his father’s death. Uncovering a conspiracy in his own family, he creates a powerful empire to administer justice against the culprits. For the first time in history, 26 leading researchers from Asia, Europe and America have come together as witnesses in a murder case that took place eight centuries ago. The question remains: Who is Batu? A war criminal, a minion of fate, or a justice maker?
In this episode of ACMS’ Virtual Panel Series we invited the director of the film Rachid Nougmanov and experts in the field, who were interviewed in the film – Timothy May, Diane Wolff, Marie Favereau and Stephen Pow to delve deeper into the period and learn.

Panelist Bios:

Rachid Nougmanov is a Kazakh film director, dissident, political activist and founder of the Kazakh New Wave cinema movement.

Dr. Timothy May is a specialist on the history of the Mongol Empire and the author and editor of 6 books, over 30 articles and chapters, and numerous other publications. He has also consulted and appeared on several television shows including National Geographic’s Origins: The Journey of Mankind, Spike’s Deadliest Warrior, and EBS (Korean Educational Broadcasting System)’s The Secret of the Super Powers. He is currently the editor of Mongolian Studies: The Journal of the Mongolia Society.

Diane Wolff is an expert on East Asia and the recipient of an ALA Notable Book Award. She has been published in The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, and the Chicago Tribune, among others, for her work on China and Tibet.

Marie Favereau is Associate Professor of History at Paris Nanterre University. She has been a member of the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology, a visiting scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study, and a research associate for the Nomadic Empires project at the University of Oxford. Her books include La Horde d’Or et le sultanat mamelouk and the graphic novel Gengis Khan.

Stephen Pow is a senior research fellow with Saint Petersburg State University. His main area of focus is the Mongol Empire and Mongol-European relations in the thirteenth century, and other medieval topics such as archaeology, Arthurian literature, and medieval travel.