Ulaanbaatar
‘Mongol Studies in Canada: Conversations Across Boundless Steppe’ Forum Held in Ottawa
Society
Ulaanbaatar, October 29, 2025 /MONTSAME/. The Embassy of Mongolia to Canada organized the forum “Mongol Studies in Canada: Conversations Across Boundless Steppe” in Ottawa on October 23, 2025.
This forum was dedicated to Professor Wayne Schlepp, one of the founders of
Mongol studies in Canada. In the first session, titled “Mongolia in the New
Geopolitical Environment,” Director of the Institute for Strategic Studies of
Mongolia, Mendee Jargalsaikhan, delivered a presentation on the topic, while
Co-founder and Principal of Pendulum Geopolitical Advisory, Jonathan Berkshire
Miller, gave a presentation titled “Opportunities for Canada-Mongolia
Cooperation under Changing Geopolitical Conditions.”
The second session, “Mongol
Studies: Passing Knowledge to Future Generations,” featured Professor Michael
Gervers, Founder and Director of the Central and Inner Asia Seminar (CIAS) at
the University of Toronto, who delivered a keynote speech titled “Professor
Wayne Schlepp and His Contribution to Mongol Studies in Canada.” Other
presenters included Professor Sam Bass of the University of Toronto, with a lecture
titled “The Word ‘Kitad’ in Mongolian: Intersections of Affiliation and Ethnic
Ideas”; Professor Lisa Yanz, also from the University of Toronto, presenting
“Archaeology of the Stone Age: Human-Animal Relations and New Stone Age
Research in the Gobi-Steppe Region”; and Sara Combrede, doctoral student at
Laval University, who spoke on “Human-Nature Interactions in Contemporary
Mongolia: A Cultural Geography Perspective.”
The forum was significant for addressing both traditional fields of Mongol studies, including history, language, culture, ethnography, and archaeology, as well as contemporary issues such as Mongolia’s foreign policy in the current geopolitical context and opportunities to strengthen Mongolia-Canada relations. Participants agreed to organize the forum on a regular basis in Canada and to promote networking among Mongolists.
