Turkistan Times, Sydney, Australia: A scholarly seminar held on October 2nd at the University of Sydney, one of Australia's prestigious academic institutions, highlighted the complex and politically sensitive aspects of 20th-century Uyghur history. The event, titled "20th Century Uyghur History: Uyghur Nationalism and the East Turkestan Republics," brought to the agenda how the Beijing government is shaping the historical narrative and the counter-efforts of independent academics.
The seminar, moderated by Dr. David Brophy from the University of Sydney, featured renowned historian Dr. Nebijan Tursun, known for his research on Uyghur history, as the guest of honor.
Dr. Brophy emphasized at the seminar that Uyghur history is a highly politicized field. He cited as an example the massive "History of Xinjiang" project, which was announced in China about two decades ago but has not been published due to political shifts since 2017. He stated that this situation is clear evidence of how the region's history is being subordinated to the political climate.
Also discussed at the seminar were the "White Papers" published by the Chinese government in recent years, which promote the narrative that the region has been "a part of China since ancient times." Experts argued that such official documents are narrowing the scope of research for scholars within China, compelling them to focus on less sensitive topics like "historical geography." These documents aim to erase the will for independence, as exemplified by the two East Turkestan Republics founded by Uyghurs in the 20th century.
The greatest resistance to this systematic historical engineering comes from independent academics in the diaspora. Due to the absence of a state archive of their own, historians are forced to rely on the records of foreign missionaries, diplomats, and travelers, intelligence reports from foreign countries, materials preserved in exile, and oral histories passed down through generations to bring forth Uyghur voices and perspectives.
The seminar's guest of honor, Dr. Nebijan Tursun, who has dedicated his life to documenting Uyghur history, was presented as a living example of how to overcome these challenges. Having studied in Beijing and Moscow and worked for many years at Radio Free Asia's Uyghur service (before it was shut down by the Trump administration), Dr. Tursun is preparing a 13-volume work titled "The General History of the Uyghurs," which is considered one of the most powerful academic responses to Beijing's official historical narrative.
In conclusion, the seminar in Sydney once again proved that history is not merely an academic discipline concerning the past, but a vital battleground where a nation's identity, existence, and future are forged.
