Online Lecture | Genghis Khan: Narratives and memories

Speaker: Dr Alex Cheleger, University of Leeds

Please note that this talk will be on Zoom only: if you usually watch on YouTube, please register to receive the Zoom joining instructions.

How does a historical figure, such as the renowned Genghis Khan, become remembered? And do different societies necessarily share the same stories, images, interpretations, or exhibitions centred on such an iconic man? This lecture begins with a simple answer: no.

Drawing on research into the everyday ethnicity of Mongolian people experiencing contemporary processes of globalisation and nation-building, this lecture brings examples of shifting narratives of Genghis Khan across literary works, academic scholarship, museum exhibitions, popular culture, and everyday social life. Rather than assuming a fixed historical truth being mirrored in different angles, it approaches them as sites where historical meaning, cultural identity and values, and even social norms are selectively constructed, negotiated, and contested.

Particular attention is given to comparing narratives emerging in China, among Mongolian communities, and potentially, across wider contexts in which the history and cultural impact of the Mongols have attracted interest. The lecture invites audiences to reflect on questions such as: Who is interpreting the past? How are representations (re-)created and why are they (re-)created in such a way? And under what circumstances established memories might need to be challenged? Ultimately, it takes us on a journey through different ways of talking about historical figures, encouraging us to revisit familiar stories through critical lenses.