Category Archives: Curios

Inside Policy Workshops

Posted on September 9, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes This will be very familiar to Mongolian readers, but perhaps of more interest to non-Mongolian readers, or those who have not travelled in the countryside beyond tourism. My experience comes from election observation on the one hand, … Continue reading →

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Posted in Architecture, Curios, Development | Tagged | 1 Comment

New to Ulaanbaatar August 2018

Posted on August 28, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes I’ve been keeping a list of things that are arriving to/disappearing from central Ulaanbaatar: October 2017 | June 2017 | May 2016 | December 2015 | May 2015 | May 2014 | October 2013. More informal versions of these observations also appear in the /ulaanbaatar/change/ category. I’ve copied the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Change, Curios, Ulaanbaatar | Tagged | Leave a comment

Guest Post: Grappling with Wrestling Titles

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

By Zorigtkhuu B National wrestling is considered a Mongolian precious cultural heritage. It holds the Guinness World Record that involved 6,002 wrestlers during the largest Mongolian wrestling tournament which was organized  on 17th September. 2011. Wrestlers have been entertaining the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Naadam, Wrestling, Zorigtkhuu Bat-Erdene | Leave a comment

What to Call a Trump-Kim Summit?

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes Yes, an actual meeting between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump still seems somewhat unlikely, and the chance that it would happen in Ulaanbaatar is even smaller. But if it did happen … there are some plans to … Continue reading →

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Posted in Curios, Mongolia and ..., North Korea, Tourism, Ulaanbaatar, United States | Tagged | Leave a comment

Sounds of a Ger

Posted on May 5, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes For any visitor to Mongolia who has the chance to sleep in a ger, that is probably a highlight. I enjoy it every time I have a chance. One of the aspects that often makes it a … Continue reading →

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Posted in Countryside, Curios, Tourism | Tagged | Leave a comment

Cars in Mongolia

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes Our image of Mongolia may be dominated by horses as a part of the landscape, but also as a mode of transport. But, of course, motorized transport is very common place today. Development Stages and Motorization I … Continue reading →

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Posted in Change, Change, Countryside, Curios, Development, Social Change, Social Issues, Ulaanbaatar | Tagged | Leave a comment

Where did the Conspiracy Conspiracy Come From?

Posted on January 21, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes Mongolia is not unique in the presence of conspiracy theories, nor in the presence of events and factors in those events that may lend themselves to conspiracy theories. Yet, in my experience, conspiracy theories have become dominant … Continue reading →

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Posted in Corruption, Curios, History, JD Democratization, JD Mining Governance, Party Politics, Politics, Pop Culture, Social Issues, Social Media | Tagged | 1 Comment

New to Ulaanbaatar October 2017

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes I’ve been keeping a list of things that are arriving to/disappearing from central Ulaanbaatar: June 2017 | May 2016 | December 2015 | May 2015 | May 2014 | October 2013. More informal versions of these observations also appear in the /ulaanbaatar/change/ category. I’ve copied the 2014-16 … Continue reading →

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Posted in Change, Curios, Ulaanbaatar | Tagged | Leave a comment

Change in Countryside – October 2017

Posted on October 25, 2017 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes This is Post #500 for our Blog! What a milestone, we’ll have to commemorate our achievement soon. For some years, I have now taken notes about visible changes in Ulaanbaatar on my periodic visits. This year, I’ve … Continue reading →

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Posted in Change, Countryside, Curios | Tagged | Leave a comment

Mongolian Presence in Germany

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes I spent the past year on a research leave from the University of British Columbia in Berlin, Germany, at the Free University’s Graduate School of East Asian Studies. I found Mongolia to be much more visible in … Continue reading →

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Posted in Canada, Cinema, Curios, Diaspora, Germany, Mongolian Diaspora, Pop Culture | Tagged | Leave a comment

New to Ulaanbaatar June 2017

Posted on July 23, 2017 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes I’ve been keeping a list of things that are arriving to/disappearing from central Ulaanbaatar: May 2016 | December 2015 | May 2015 | May 2014 | October 2013. More informal versions of these observations also appear in … Continue reading →

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Posted in Change, Curios, Social Change, Ulaanbaatar | Tagged | Leave a comment

Change in the Countryside – June 2017

Posted on July 16, 2017 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes For some years, I have now taken notes about visible changes in Ulaanbaatar on my periodic visits. In part this is note-taking for my own self, because there are so many things that I don’t remember already … Continue reading →

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Posted in Change, Countryside, Curios | Tagged | Leave a comment

More Graduates of Archery 101

Posted on July 9, 2017 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes & Mendee Two years ago, Mendee posted some photos of world leaders visiting Mongolia and encountering archery. In June, we finally had a chance to have the experience ourselves, thanks to Mendee’s childhood friend who is an … Continue reading →

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Trust in Mongolian Youth

Posted on June 14, 2017 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes I went to Arkhangai with my mother to show her a bit of the Mongolian countryside (and also give me a chance to learn more about the election campaign). We had a wonderful time. On our way … Continue reading →

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Posted in Curios, Tourism | Tagged | Leave a comment

Funny Thing Happened Last Week: John Oliver, Dalai Lama, Mongolia

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes One of the reasons I encourage graduate students to be strategic about communicating their research results is that you never know when and on what topic the public comes knocking on your door. Sometimes the public comes … Continue reading →

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Posted in Curios, Dalai Lama, Health, Media and Press, Pop Culture, Social Issues, Social Media, United States | Tagged | Leave a comment