Dongduk Women’s University has presented a new research framework for comparative folklore studies at an international academic conference marking the 90th anniversary of renowned Turkic folklorist Tora Mirzayev.
The Institute for Eurasian Turkic Studies at Dongduk Women’s University co-organized the conference alongside major academic institutions across the Turkic world. Participating organizations included the Institute of Language and Literature and the Institute of Folklore of the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, the Alisher Navoi State Museum of Literature, the Writers’ Union of Uzbekistan, the Institute of Folklore of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, and the Turkic Culture Research Institute of Ege University in Türkiye.
Professor Eunkyung Oh, director of the institute, presented a paper titled “Comparative Folklore as Infrastructural Epistemology: Designing a Shared Corpus in the Turkic Cultural Sphere.”
In her presentation, Oh redefined comparative folklore not simply as an analytical method but as an infrastructural condition that enables knowledge production. She emphasized that comparability must be systematically constructed through shared research frameworks.
A key contribution of the study is the proposal of a shared corpus model that integrates textual materials, oral traditions, archival resources, and institutional systems. The model aims to support cross-regional research across the Turkic cultural sphere by providing a structured and data-driven foundation.
The approach is seen as moving beyond traditional region-based studies toward a more collaborative and digitally oriented research paradigm, aligning comparative folklore with broader developments in digital humanities.
Due to travel constraints, the presentation was delivered online, reflecting the continued expansion of international academic exchange through digital platforms.
The Institute for Eurasian Turkic Studies plans to further expand global collaboration and advance research in comparative folklore and digital humanities across Eurasian and Turkic contexts.
