DEPARTMENT OF SLAVIC LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES

This Spring, the Northwestern University Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures is hosting its third annual Nowruz series, Celebrating Persian and Turkic Culture.

The Nowruz 2026 series kicks off with a four-part film series, with screenings of Tajik, Kazakh, Azerbaijani, and Persian films.

Screening Schedule:

• April 10th: The Bodyguard (Tajik, 1979) 5:30 p.m. in the Forum Room, University Library, Second Floor
• April 15th: The Land of Fathers (Kazakh, 1966) 5:30 p.m. in the Video Theatre, University Library, Second Floor w/ special guest Dr. Peter Rollberg (George Washington University) who will introduce and lead a discussion of the film
• April 24th: Buta (Azerbaijani, 2011) 5:30 p.m. in the Forum Room, University Library, Second Floor
• May 1st: Taste of Cherry (Persian, 1997) 5:30 p.m. in the Forum Room, University Library, Second Floor

On April 13th, 12-3pm (Harris Hall 108), we hope you’ll join us in a live multicultural performance event to celebrate alongside and learn from Chicago-based diaspora communities Persian and Turkic cultures, enjoy traditional music and dance, and sample delicious ethnic cuisine. 

The series will wrap up with two lectures:

1. Literary Translation Workshop 4-6pm May 8th (Kresge 2-351). Led by Shelley Fairweather-Vega, a professional translator of Central Asian literature, the workshop will examine the often invisible processes that shape literary translation today.
2. Central Asia in the Soviet Union: The Intertwined Histories of Nation, Empire, & Revolution 3-5pm May 15 (Harris 108) by Adeeb Khalid Professor of History (Carleton College)

RSVPs not required, friends welcome!  We hope you'll join us for some or all of these exciting events!

We'd like to express deep gratitude to our co-sponsors: The Middle Eastern and North African Studies Program (MENA Studies), the Russian,  Eurasian, and East European Studies Research Program (REEES), the Roberta Buffett Center for Global Affairs, the Alice Kaplan Institute for the Humanities, and the South Asian Research Forum. 

Prof. Wilczewski and his students from Elementary Polish went to Kurowski Sausage Shop and Staropolska Restaurant in the Avondale neighborhood of Chicago where students practiced their Polish language skills as they shopped for Polish groceries and ordered their meals. They also walked along the section of Milwaukee Avenue known as the Polish corridor and learned about the Polish history of the neighborhood.