Member of the project “Mobilizing academic communities in Central Asia to produce new knowledge about the 1916 Uprising, and to build shared academic platforms for exchanging and disseminating knowledge about ethnically or/and politically sensitive topics”, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of Khujand State University Nabijon Turdalievich Rakhimov reports: On October 19, 2019, two classes at Tajik State University of Law, Business and Politics (Khujand) were held at the course “History of the Tajik People.” According to the curriculum and work plan (syllabus), the classes were focused  to the theme “Central Asia as part of  of the Russian Empire. ”During the lecture (on a schedule preceding the practical classes) a review of the topic was already given. The seminars were focused on the study of the 1916 uprising, events that became a concentration, consequence and reflection of all parties the colonial policy of Russia in the national outskirts of the empire. According to the list prepared for the seminar, students familiarized themselves with additional literature, handouts and prepared a presentation of their understanding of the 1916 events. The topic proposed for discussion aroused great interest among students. the curriculum had very little knowledge. In preparation for the discussion of a given topic, students had to master new data.

During the interactive classes, students learned new historical facts and materials, got acquainted with new historical documents that were stored for many years in museums and archives of countries that were formerly part of the Russian Empire and the USSR. At the same time, students received information about new interpretations of the the 1916 events and new approaches to understanding historical facts under the project of the Aigine Cultural Research Center. In general, the lecture and debate on the topic proposed for discussion,  allowed the students to look at the events from a different angle and to rethink the 1916 events and its place in the history of the peoples of Tajikistan and all  Central Asia.