Politics and Society in Contemporary Mongolia

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

Mongolia is a country of unexpected contradictions. Its rich historical and cultural heritage exists in congruence with fledgling capitalism. Despite being landlocked between the world’s most influential autocratic behemoths, it transitioned to and consolidated its democracy surprising many around the world. As such, contemporary Mongolia provides a unique setting to examine a wide range of important questions for scholars of the region.

This inter-disciplinary panel includes three papers. First, anthropologist Manduhai Buyandelger examines the concept of urbanization in relations to sociality, morality, and conscience through an empirical focus on young animal rescuers and advocates in Mongolia. The second paper by historian Sergey Radchenko explores the foreign policy constraints and opportunities facing Mongolia at the time of ever-tightening relationship between Russia and China. In the third paper, political scientists Steve Fish and Delgerjargal Uvsh show how pro-democracy actors can increase their electoral success by employing nationalist rhetoric using a survey experiment in Mongolia.

Sub Unit

• Politics/Law

Chair

• Christopher P. Atwood, U of Pennsylvania

Papers

• Crisis in Animal Rescue: Rethinking Urbanization in a Multispecies World - Manduhai Buyandelger, MIT

• Between the Rock and the Hard Place: Mongolia’s Relations with China and Russia - Sergey Radchenko, Johns Hopkins U

• Reclaiming the National Flag: Nationalist Rhetoric and Support for Pro-Democracy Candidates in Mongolia - Steven Fish, UC Berkeley; Delgerjargal Uvsh, U of Texas at Austin

Discussant

• Christopher P. Atwood, U of Pennsylvania