Professor Delgerjargal Purevsuren, department of history, National University of Mongolia (NUM), was invited to address a keynote speech on “Mongolian Ethnic Group and Clan: Past and Present” at the  conference room of Humanities Center, NCCU, at 2 p.m. on 16 May, 2015.

Delgerjargal started discussing the meaning of “ovog” (clan/ surname) toward Mongolian people from several measures implemented by the government: in 1925 the use of family name was cancelled by the law, and in the 1930’s there were 20 ethnic groups that divided from Mongolia. Moreover, under the influence on politics by the USSR, the leftists appeared in Mongolia and then they further developed into nationalism. Besides, each ethnic group commenced to stress on the disparity and difference between their languages and cultures.

The ethnic policy of Mongolia, in general, followed Marxism of the USSR; however, the difference in several aspects like ethnic groups and cultures between the two countries was not in consideration.

What’s more, he particularly mentioned the discrepancy between anthropology of the occidental countries and ethnology of the USSR. For example, occidental anthropologists interpreted the phases of the social organizations in this way: clan – tribe – chiefdom – state, while the USSR ethnologists: clan – tribe – league – state. These phases, in fact, were similar. In spite of the queries from a number of western scholars, this kind of process still owned its influence.

Eventually, in professor Delgerjargal’s opinion, the reason for the change of the original meaning of “ovog” was that the alteration of Mongolia in the 1930’s and the influence of Marxism. Conventionally speaking, Mongolian clans were set on basis of territory but not ties of blood. Facing this situation, he considered that it’s necessary to make use of philosophical concept to explain this change.