International mobility in Tajikistan: the first Inalco Foundation scholarship winners

The Institute signed an agreement with the National State University of Tajikistan (in Dushanbe) for the first time at the beginning of the year. Recently created, the Fondation Inalco was keen to make international mobility one of its first actions. Indeed, these stays abroad are a major benefit to students' curricula, enabling them to immerse themselves in the language and civilization they are studying at Inalco.

Persian is one of Inalco's four original languages (alongside Chinese, Hindi and Turkish). It is spoken by over 120 million people, notably in Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Iran. This geographical area also crystallizes major geopolitical, cultural and civilizational issues. Given the difficulty of sending students to Iran or Afghanistan, it was to Tajikistan that the winners flew in early March.

The winners

The Foundation decided to support Persian-speaking students in their academic exchange between Inalco and the University of Dushanbe by awarding its first international mobility grants, which concern both second- and third-year undergraduate and master's students. Their applications were examined by a selection panel on criteria of excellence, progress and success in their studies, and the completion of a "remarkable project" as part of their exchange or curriculum.

Two of our Foundation mobility grant winners present their backgrounds and motivations for going to study in Dushanbe.

Eve GARINAT, a Licence 3 student in international relations specializing in the Iranian world at Inalco:
"I joined Inalco's Persian Licence in 2019 to specialize in Iran and deepen my knowledge of the Persian language and culture, both of which are thousands of years old and whose heritage extends far beyond the borders of present-day Iran. Studying Central Asia, a region at the crossroads of the Turkish, Iranian and Russian worlds, seemed a natural extension of my studies. Thanks to the joint efforts of professors from Inalco and the National University of Tajikistan, the university exchange was an exceptional opportunity for me to improve my language skills and increase my knowledge of Tajikistan. Indeed, while Tajikistan's history has been linked to that of Iran under the Achaemenids in Antiquity and the Samanids in the Middle Ages, where the poet Rudaki was born, it has been transformed by Russian, imperial and then communist influence, creating a complex and unique history."

Sephora VALLOTON, student in Master 2 literary translation in Persian at Inalco:
"I obtained a BA in Arabic and Persian at Ca'Foscari University in Venice before enrolling at Inalco in 2020-2021. This academic exchange in Tajikistan is an opportunity for me to deepen my study of the Persian-speaking geographical area, but also to put into practice my skills in literary translation, which requires a deep and global understanding of different language registers and levels of cultural reference. Finally, this mobility represents for me a great opportunity to rub shoulders with Tajik students of literature, to enjoy the teaching and/or collaboration of Tajik professors specialized in Persian literature and to consult the bibliographical resources on the subject of Persian literature in Iranian and Tajik Persian contained in the university and state libraries of Dushanbe."

Sephora is also very involved with exiled Afghan and Iranian students studying at Inalco.

Congratulations once again to our winners!