The Mongolia Society, Inc.

MonSoc News & Events

The latest edition of the Mongol Survey

• Issue no. 48 (Fall-Winter 2024) (PDF)

Applications for Summer 2025 Mongolian Language Workshop at Indiana University

January 15, 2025

Please note that the deadline to apply for funding is quickly approaching—January 31, 2025. Be sure to submit your application soon to secure your spot in this immersive and enriching program. 

To apply, visit https://languageworkshop.indiana.edu/summer-language-workshop/overview/online/mongolian/index.html.

If you have any general questions, feel free to contact us at iulw@iu.edu.

Opportunity to Join the Society’s Board of Directors

January 15, 2025

Are you a Mongolia Society member and interested in serving on our organization’s Board of Directors? If so, contact Executive Director Susie Drost (email: monsoc@iu.edu) and ask to be put on the next The Mongolia Society ballot. The Board of Directors term is three (3) years.

The Society Celebrates the Release of a New Publication

January 15, 2025

On October 1, 2024, the Society announced the publication of Occasional Papers #29:  

No Use of Force - the End of an Era in Mongolia: The Memoirs of Jambyn Batmönkh

Jambyn Batmönkh was General Secretary of the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP) when, on March 9, 1990, he refused to sign a decree which would have authorized the military and police to break up peaceful anti-government  demonstrations in front of government house in downtown Ulaanbaatar. He then persuaded the entire Politburo of the MPRP to resign. Batmönkh announced the  decision at 7:00 pm that evening on national radio and television. His actions highlighted the end of 66 years of Marxist rule and the beginning of the final stage of the  collapse of the Soviet Union’s 69-year dominance of Mongolia. The new Mongolian leadership that emerged after him implemented the goal of complete independence  from its neighbors (China and Russia) that it had sought since 1911. 

This book is an abridged English translation of Batmönkh’s memoirs and associated  papers that D. Tsedev initially published in 2001. It presents a rare glimpse into the  thoughts and perspective of the last leader of Marxist-Leninist Mongolia--a man who  played a key role in one of twentieth century Mongolia’s most tumultuous periods. 

The editors of the book, former ambassador Joseph E. Lake and his son Michael Allen Lake, describe Batmönkh as a thoughtful, methodical man who cared about his country  and its people and who was deliberate and careful in managing important issues. His  primary goal was to uphold the “genuine interests” of Mongolia and to strengthen “national unity.”  

Batmönkh’s perspective is critical to historians, as he was at the heart of major events, from the replacement of Yu. Tsedenbal in 1984, after 44 years in power to the transition to democracy and a free market system, which began in the early 1990s. He remained a believer in the possibilities of the Marxist system even as it began to crumble around him.  

In the words of the editors: “It is our hope that this volume, in English for the first time, will provide readers and scholars with a better understanding of the man whose actions had such an impact on Mongolia at this  critical juncture in the nation’s history.”

Mongolia Society members will receive a copy of the book as part of their membership benefits. Those who wish to purchase the book may do so for $38.00, plus postage, until April 1, 2025. After then, the cost will be $50.00, plus postage. (U.S. postage $5.50, overseas postage varies by destination.)

To purchase your copy of this publication, go to our Publications Publications page page, or contact Susie Drost.

The Society’s President, Ambassador Michael Klecheski (Ret.), Presents a Lecture on Mongolia’s Independence

March 1, 2024

Ambassador Michael Klecheski, the U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia from 2019 to 2022, presented a Mongolia Society lecture, “Mongolia’s Third Neighbor Policy in Practice: A Case Study from a former U.S. Ambassador’s Years in Mongolia,” on February 20, 2024. Lecture attendees–students, faculty, and Mongolia Society members–gathered around a large discussion table at the Global and International Studies Building on the campus of Indiana University, Bloomington, or watched via a Zoom link.

A video recording of this lecture is available here: YouTube

For the full story and award winners, please see our News and Events page.  

MonSoc Celebrates the Mongolian Lunar New Year, 2024

March 1, 2024

The Society celebrated Tsagaan Sar, the Mongolian Lunar New Year, on Saturday, February 2, 2024, at the Ferguson International Center on the Indiana University-Bloomington campus.

The event drew dozens of people, including the Society’s President, Ambassador (Ret.) Michael Klecheski, and many from the Bloomington Mongolian American community. It included music and dance, food, and a powerful sense of community, not only locally but also with relatives and friends in Mongolia, too.

The following images of the event were taken by Zolboo Dashmyagmar. You can see more of her images on the Society’s 2024 Tsagaan Sar event page.

The Society wishes to thank all the groups and institutions that supported this celebration, including the Department of Central Eurasian Studies and Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center (at Indiana University, Bloomington), the Mongolian Student Association, and the Bloomington Mongolian community. 

Winners of the 2022-2023 Best of the Next Generation of American Mongolists Competition

June 7, 2023

­­The Mongolia Society and the Embassy of Mongolia are pleased to announce the winners of the 2022-2023 Best of the Next Generation of American Mongolists Competition.

Funded by the Embassy of Mongolia to the United States and conducted by The Mongolia Society, this competition recognizes the top three individuals whose combination of thoroughness and quality of research, knowledge and use of primary sources in original languages, and scholarly promise and commitment to advancing the field of Mongolian Studies best exemplifies the Next Generation of American Mongolists.  The competition was open to master’s- and doctoral-level students and new PhDs. Materials submitted were judged in a “blind” review by a panel of judges with proven academic credentials in Mongolian studies. 

Overall, the quality of the seven (7) essays submitted was outstanding and the Society hopes to publish many of them in the Journal of The Mongolia Society.

For the full story and award winners, please see our News and Events page.  

Report From The Society’s 61st Annual Meeting & Conference, October 2022

November 7, 2022

The 61st Annual Meeting & Conference of The Mongolia Society was held jointly with the Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS) on the Indiana University, Bloomington campus, October 20-23, 2022. The meeting and conference were well-attending, both in-person and virtually. The conference, held at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, featured the participation of 27 panelists on 7 different panels. The conference schedule is available here: Webpage or PDF.

The Society was honored to have Ambassador U. Batbayar, Ambassador of Mongolia to the United States, attend the event, during which he met with administration officials at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and Indiana University-Bloomington (IU). Together they discussed educational cooperation in the framework of the March 15, 2022, "Agreement of Friendship and Cooperation" between Indiana University and the National University of Mongolia. The Ambassador delivered the Opening Remarks at the General Meeting & Conference and visited with members. 

Additional photographs and more information about the conference is available on our News and Events page.

The Mongolia Society remembers Dr. György Kara

October 19, 2022

It is with great sadness that the Society receives the news of the passing of Dr. György Kara, or Khar Dorj, as he was known to his many students, friends, and colleagues. A long-time member of the Society, Dr. Kara was a beloved instructor, mentor, and colleague. Our hearts and thoughts are with his family at this time.

The Mongolia Society will be remembering Dr. Kara and honoring his enormous contributions to Mongolian Studies in a forthcoming issue of the journal Mongolian Studies.

For the full story, please see our News and Events page.

IN BRIEF: MORE NEWS, EVENTS, & UPDATES

UPDATE ON DR. ALICIA CAMPI: Our dear colleague, Alicia Campi, is now residing in a long-term nursing facility at Manor Care Potomac, Maryland, where she continues to receive post-stroke care and therapy. On December 25, 2024, Ms. Ruth Kurzbauer sent out the following email with updates on her condition and how to reach her:

Dear Friends and Family of Alicia,

Wishing you all a happy holiday season and peaceful and healthy New Year!

Alicia is "holding her own" and would welcome calls or whats app messages. While her basic stroke challenges are largely the same, her comprehension is great and she is now an expert at coloring beautiful figurative and floral designs. She can easily communicate by gesture, tone of voice, and has added a few new words to her unprompted vocabulary. I just visited her on Christmas Eve and found her attending a Christmas mass led by a visiting priest and volunteers from a local Catholic church. Highlights of the past few months include her participation in the reception at the Embassy of Mongolia, hosted by the Ambassador for participants in MONSOC's convention held this year in Washington DC, and with the kind assistance of retired Mongolian Ambassador Battsetseg.

As a reminder, Alicia's telephone number is 1-703-859-0222. She is skilled at using Whats App voice calls and responding to Whats App text messages.

Please enjoy two photos taken yesterday and please share this message with others you know who would like to stay in touch with Alicia.

Warm regards, Ruth