Conference at 6 PM, by Xavier Hallez, associate researcher at CETOBAC (EHESS), at,  Maison de l’Asie, 22 avenue du Président Wilson, 75016 PARIS.

Paul Pelliot’s meeting with the Uzbek and Kyrgyz worlds in the summer of 1906 – new approach to the travel diaries and photographs of the French scientific expedition to Central Asia.

The French scientific mission to Central Asia led by Paul Pelliot between 1906 and 1908 has been extensively commented on and studied with regard to its essential part, namely his work in China. The crossing of Russian Turkestan, corresponding to current Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, which preceded it, conversely received very limited attention, because it did not fall within the scientific interests of the mission.

The archives of the Pelliot mission kept at the Guimet museum are, however, a completely unique source on Uzbek and Kyrgyz societies at the beginning of the 20th century. Pelliot’s often praised linguistic knowledge allowed him to maintain direct and unmediated relations with Turkic-speaking Central Asians whose exchanges were transcribed in his travel diaries. During the two weeks during which the expedition took the road from Osh (in the south of Kyrgyzstan) to Kashgar, Pelliot and his comrades were accompanied by Asanbek, one of the richest and most influential Kyrgyz in the region and a real relation of Friendship was formed between Pelliot and Asanbek. The words of the latter which have reached us thanks to Pelliot open an extraordinary door towards the representations of the world, the writing of history and the self-discourse of the Kyrgyz.

These travel diaries are supplemented by photographs by Charles Nouette, a member of the expedition. Once again, the photos taken in Russian Turkestan had never been used by researchers or published. The dialogue between the photographs and the travel diaries is particularly productive.