Mikhail Bakhtin
My academic research conducted while studying abroad at NYU New York was devoted to exploring the biography and creativity of the world-famous philosopher Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin (1895-1975). I was introduced to Bakhtin and his works when taking literature courses taught by Judith Graves Miller and Maurice Pomerantz at NYU Abu Dhabi.
As it turned out, this philosopher and literary critic was in exile in Kazakhstan, Kostanay - the very city I am from. The period of his life in exile, when Discourse in the Novel was created and the idea for his famous work about Rabelais crystallised, is the least investigated. This fact motivated me to start searching for the traces of Bakhtin's presence in my hometown through archival investigation right after my freshmen year, and to document people’s memory, who previously explored Bakhtin’s creativity and biography, for my future documentary film. Thus, when I came to New York in Fall 2016, I requested an advanced documentary filmmaking course to improve my ability in telling stories using film medium. There, apart from curriculum, I initiated an independent study on the topic "American scholars on Bakhtin's life and creativity". Consequently, I video interviewed the leading American scientists: Katerina Clark at Yale University, who is the author of the first scientific biography on Bakhtin published in 1983, and Caryl Emerson at Princeton University - a prominent expert and translator of Bakhtin’s works. My conducted project bears its own scientific value for future scholars in the field of Bakhtinology, since Clark and Emerson were among the first who introduced Bakhtin to the Western World. While being in New York, I compiled a trailer from this exclusive study that reveals the reasons for the global spread and cultural influence of Bakhtin's ideas. The trailer touches upon the Soviet political climate in Bakhtin's fate.
The gained knowledge in the United States motivated me to continue working in this direction on a more academic level. As soon as I came back to NYU Abu Dhabi, I developed a syllabus for the directed study course titled “The thought and impact of Mikhail Bakhtin,” under the guidance of Professor Judith Graves Miller. Thanks to this course, I plunged myself into the leading research concerning Bakhtin Studies and made an effort to visit Moscow during the Spring Break. There, I video interviewed people who personally knew Bakhtin, who kept the memory of him from their parents, and those who currently study his philosophy. It was an additional step to the production of a professional documentary film on Bakhtin. Moreover, I wrote a scientific article "Bakhtin's Biography as His Best Advocate," where I trace the relationship of his autobiographical distortion with the dramatic life he actually lived. This article will be published in the journal “Electra Street” of the Arts & Humanities at NYU Abu Dhabi. With the blessing and advice from my highly qualified teachers and curators, this summer I also continued working on the biographical research using local material in my native Kostanay, Kazakhstan. NYU Abu Dhabi again provided me with the necessary cinematographic equipment.
All my courses supplemented each other and focused on a global humanistic approach. And NYU Abu Dhabi thanks to international education and non-curricular programming allowed me to cross multiple institutions, effectively develop my education abroad, and conduct an independent research work.