MIT Press
The Contest of the Fruits takes its title from a quote from a 19th century Uyghur satirical poem. The title sets the vector for a book dedicated to language, religion, humor, and the politics of resilience and resistance. The authors of the monograph investigate the Uyghurs' position and their world, located at the crossroads of many civilizations and empires. The book is now available by pre-order, and is scheduled to be published in the fall from MIT Press.
The playful structure of the work presents, through the “ribald rivalry of such fruits as mulberry, pomegranate, quince, and pear,” a fascinating study of artists, scientists, poets, and musicians. The publication with visual content from the Slavs and Tatars collective covers a variety of topics: language politics, famous Uyghur rappers in China, poems of authors from the diaspora, calligraphy, Uyghur pop music, the mäshräp genre, and the Sufi practice Samāc.
The Contest of the Fruits will consist of a series of events that explore physical and cultural boundaries, heritage, and identity. Slavs and Tatars is an art group exploring the territory of Eurasia: east of the former Berlin Wall and west of the Great Wall of China.
Read more on the website.
