The following link redirects to my first entry in a new column hosted by the Central Eurasian Studies Society. The … More
Category: Michael's Blog
Tense Decisions
By Michael Writing is very difficult. Writing will be very difficult. Writing has been very difficult. The English language allows … More
Dissertation Writing
Maintaining concentration is a problem on more than one level when writing my dissertation. I cannot know how widely spread … More
J. G. Renat – Swedish Superhero
Johan Gustaf Renat (1682-1744) was an amazing historical figure, a Swedish man with an uncanny skill for survival in strange … More
Traditions and Antiquity
Traditions, in my experience, are crafted. Which is to say that they do not arise spontaneously out of the thin … More
Elim-ai: An investigation
Previously I wrote that I would use the blog for writing practice, more specifically for writing things outside the scope … More
Why are you studying the Kazakhs?
“Why are you studying the history of the Kazakhs?” I have heard this question many times and it deserves a … More
Famines and Zhuts
On a handful of occasions, I have encountered an interesting phenomenon in conversation with some citizens of the Republic of … More
Archery and Firearms
This post is perhaps more rambling than some… I have several areas where my hobbies and my academic interests intersect. … More