INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23
American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 04,2025
Journal:
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page 1781
SCHOLAR M. JORAEV - FOLKLORE SCIENCE SCHOOL
Keruenov Turganbay
Doctor of philological sciences, professor
Gaylieva Ogulay
Doctor of philological sciences, professor
Abstract:
In this article, folklorist M. Zhuraev’s role in Turkish folklore studies and the
importance of his research works in modern science are discussed.
Key words:
folklore, folklore study, M. Zhuraev folklorist scholar
Our people are a people rich in tangible and intangible heritage. Just as the history
of our people dates back to ancient times, the emergence of folk oral creativity has taken its
roots from ancient times and has reached our present day. Thus, the study and research of our
literary heritage is not only of great importance in science and technology, but also serves to
further development of the national and spiritual outlook of the younger generation, to
educate them in the spirit of nationalism, patriotism, friendship and devotion to goodness.
Therefore, this issue is of great importance in contemporary world folklore and literary
studies. Thanks to independence, the process of renewal in our cultural life has attracted great
attention to science, literature, and art, and serious attention is being paid to the state level,
which has led to the collection of samples of folk oral creativity and the issues of publishing,
researching and promoting its national essence using advanced research methods available in
literary studies and folklore studies have reached a new level. In the research of folklore
works at the level of today's requirements, it is of scientific-theoretical importance to study
the specific features of folk art, its ideological content, genres, formal updates in the context
of Turkish peoples and world folklore and to analyze it comparatively and typologically. In
the research and interpretation of these issues, the special role of Mamatkul Juraev, a folklore
scholar, professor, Doctor of Philology, "Honored Worker of Culture of the Republic of
Uzbekistan", and winner of the "Shukhrat" medal is incomparable. During his 65 years of life,
the scientist worked tirelessly to collect the heritage of Uzbek folklore from among the
people and pass it on to the younger generation of today and future generations. He has
published more than 750 scientific and popular science articles on folk art, 58 books,
including 16 monographs, 3 textbooks, 6 study guides and 4 books published in foreign
countries, the anthology "20th Century Uzbek Folklore" under his leadership and direct
participation, a 2-volume catalog of Uzbek folk magic tales published in Germany in 2017, as
well as a magnificent collection of masterpieces of Uzbek folklore -the head of the project to
prepare for publication 100 volumes of "Monuments of Uzbek Folk Creativity", he prepared
more than 60 volumes of this hundred-volume collection, and managed to print 20 of them.
In Professor M. Juraev's scientific works, such as "The Secret of Magic Numbers",
"Magic Numbers in Uzbek Folk Tales", "El desa Navoiyni", "Navruz", "Silk Road Legends",
"Uzbek Folk Calendar and Mythological Legends", "Uzbek Folk Celestial Legends", "A Star
Before the Moon", "Myth, Folklore and Literature" epic genres and traditions in folklore
studies, issues such as their genesis, evolutionary development, history and aesthetic
functions, plot structure and leading motifs, and mythological foundations were evaluated
based on the criteria of the new era and we believe that it is worth emphasizing.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23
American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 04,2025
Journal:
https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai
page 1782
The scholar's scientific articles also attract readers by their focus on topical issues of
folklore studies. For example, when we read his article "On the historical foundations of the
plot of the epic "Shirin and Shakar" (Newspaper of the Karakalpak State University, 2017),
we can see that the national uniqueness of our people, the poetic content of the epics, which
are considered a mirror of the dreams, mentality and spiritual world of the centuries is studied
from a new perspective. The scholar defines this epic as one of the most beautiful examples
of the Uzbek romantic epic in terms of its genre characteristics and states that it depicts the
loyalty and fidelity of Shirin bilan Shakar, love of their beloved and homeland, great
attention is paid to depicting the courage and heroism shown in the battles and battles fought
to destroy evil and punish traitors, which is why this epic plot has several unique
interpretations among the Turkic peoples of Central Asia. He also states that it is especially
noteworthy that the Uzbek folklore versions of epics based on this plot are distinguished by
the high level of poetic skill of the bakhshis, the extensive description of the adventures of
epic heroes based on imaginary fiction and fantastic interpretation, and the attractiveness and
variety of artistic means used in the text of the work.
In his article, M. Juraev notes that this ancient epic, which discusses the
irreconcilable struggle between good and evil, the eternal existence of honesty and truth, and
the transformation of human destiny by loyalty and betrayal is known among Uzbek poets
under the names "Shirin va Shakar " and "Shirin bilan Sugar", and compares them
typologically stating that in Karakalpak folklore it is also called "Shirin-Shakar". It identifies
and discusses the distinctive features and differences between the two versions of the epic,
the repertoire of verses that shaped the epic, the way the epic was written, and the variants of
manuscript copies. Although it has been established that the epic version of the epic poem in
the Khorezm oasis was mainly in the repertoire of the Karakalpak folk poet Kurbonboy Jirov
(Kurbonboy Tojiboev) and his student from the Khazorasp region, Matnazar Jabbor ugli, the
scholar has a separate opinion that these versions were not published. The scholar also states
that there is also a Kazakh version of the poem which is named after the story of Shakir, the
children of Shakirat, the king of Hashim.
It is worth noting that M. Juraev's latest scientific and biobibliographic research
work, "Uzbek Folklore Studies" (Tashkent, 2021), has made a significant contribution not
only to the development of Uzbek folklore studies, but also to Turkic folklore studies and
literary studies. This book by the author provides extensive information about the activities of
hardworking scholars and devoted folklore collectors who have worked fruitfully in the
scientific study of folk art. In this book, the scientist, speaking about Uzbek folklore and the
principles of its development, first of all, emphasizes that Uzbek folk art is one of our
invaluable national values, emdiving the masterpieces of the centuries-old artistic thought
of our ancestors. At the same time, when discussing the history of the collection and
recording of Uzbek folklore, he mentions the work "History of Bukhara" by the famous
historian Abu Bakr ibn Ja'far Narshahi, who lived and worked in the 10th century. After that,
he provides information about the works of the great scholar Mahmud Kashgari, who lived in
the 11th century. This research work has proven that it has become the basis for the study and
investigation of folklore works, and that the current widespread scientific research has
opened the door to the recognition of the masterpieces of Uzbek folklore in world science and
technology. Because, according to the the scholar, changes have occurred in the research
methods, methodology and theoretical concepts of folklore studies in the present era, when
the processes of globalization are rapidly intensifying. Modern folklore is an integrative
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23
American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 04,2025
Journal:
https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai
page 1783
scientific field in the social and humanitarian field, the main object of its study being verbal
traditions that were recorded in live performance conditions and have retained their oral
popularization status. The specific features of the verbal components of folk art, the
performance status of post-folklore, its vital and everyday function, and its artistic and
aesthetic nature prove that it is the subject of contemporary folklore studies. The emergence
of new scientific directions and concepts in contemporary Uzbek folklore studies, the
scientist says, is directly related to the current state of folk oral creativity, especially in a
situation where information processes are intensifying and digital technologies have
penetrated all spheres of our lives, which has led to serious changes in the role and essence of
artistic traditions in oral performance. The the scholar also did not forget that the emergence
or strengthening of one or another direction in folkloristic research depends on the attitude of
society to folkloric creativity. At the same time, the scientist also speaks in his book about the
need to conduct a comparative study of Uzbek folklore studies with the leading scientific
schools of world folklore studies and their theories. In particular, the 21st century draws
attention to integrative folkloristics as one of the newest scientific directions in world folklore
studies and recognizes the need for comparative study of them with Uzbek folklore. Professor
M. Joraev has been giving scientific advice to his students in the school of folklore studies in
order to apply these research methods of folklore studies. Considering that 4 Doctors of
Science (DSc), 9 Candidates of Science, and 11 Doctors of Philosophy (PhD) in philological
disciplines were trained under his scientific supervision, it is clear that the scholar created a
large school in Uzbek folklore studies, and the students who studied there continue the
scientific work that the Master emphasized as still to be studied in Uzbek folklore studies. In
this regard, the scholar trained and invited students to the world of science, studying not only
Uzbek folklore, but also the folklore of the Turkic peoples, including the Karakalpak,
Turkmen, and Kazakh peoples. Therefore, we consider Professor M. Juraev as a leader not
only of Uzbek folklore, but also of Turkish folklore. His scientific research work in the
folklore of the Turkic peoples, including the study, collection, and promotion of Uzbek,
Karakalpak, and Turkmen folklore, and the identification of typological similarities and
differences, literary influence, and harmony between them provides new scientific and
theoretical conclusions for modern folklore.
In conclusion, Professor M. Joraev's research on folklore contains the beliefs of our
ancestors, the history of our people, today and the future. The masterpieces of our nation are
depicted in them. Therefore, we, researchers, educators, and folklorists, who work for the
development of science, deeply study the oral creativity of our people, and convey them to
future generations, deeply promote our cultural and literary heritage, reflected in our books,
to our youth and instilling loyalty to the homeland, education in the spirit of patriotism is one
of our main tasks. Because we currently serve as a bridge between the older generation and
the younger generation. Therefore, if we can carefully preserve and pass on to future
generations the priceless intangible cultural heritage of our people, our national values, which
the scientist brought to light in his research, the future generation will be pleased with us!
