Collection ID: C434
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Collection context

Summary

Creator:
Sinor, Denis
Abstract:
Denis Sinor was a faculty member of Indiana University in the Uralic and Altaic Program (now the Department of Central Eurasian Studies) from 1962 to 2011. Sinor founded the Department of Uralic and Altaic Studies in 1965 and the Asian Studies Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies (now the Sinor Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies [RIFIAS]), both of which he served as director for until his retirement from IU in 1986. He was active in many organizations during his tenure at Indiana University, most significantly the Journal of Asian History (JAH), Permanent International Altaistic Conference (PIAC), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and National Defense Education Act (NDEA). This collection consists of Sinor's correspondence with various organizations, IU, and personal contacts.
Extent:
23 cubic feet (23 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English
Preferred citation:

[Item], Denis Sinor papers, Collection C434, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.

Background

Biographical / Historical:

Denis Sinor was born in Hungary (now Cluj, Romania) on April 17, 1916. He was educated in Hungary, Switzerland, and France in Altaic linguistics. Between 1939 and 1948, he received several fellowships in Hungary and France, where he held various teaching and research assignments.

During World War II, Sinor served in the French army as a member of the French Resistance and later in the Free French Forces in the postwar occupation of Germany. Post-war, Sinor moved to England where he obtained an MA from Cambridge University (1948). He was appointed to its Faculty of Oriental Studies and taught there for fourteen years until 1962. During that time, Sinor wrote History of Hungary and more than 100 articles and reviews on the linguistics and histories of Inner Asia.

Sinor came to the United States and Indiana University (IU) in 1962 as a visiting professor. Soon thereafter, he was appointed to the head of the Uralic and Altaic program (renamed: Central Eurasian Studies [CEUS]) and was the Chairman from 1963-1981. In 1975, Sinor was elevated to Distinguished Professor, Indiana University's highest academic rank, and subsequently Distinguished Professor Emeritus upon retirement from teaching in 1986.

In 1963, he created the National Defense Education Uralic and Altaic Language and Area Center (renamed: Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center [IAUNRC] in 1981) and served as the Director for this organization from 1963-1988. From 1965 to 1967, Sinor was the Chairman for the Asian Studies Research Institute (renamed: Sinor Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies [SRIFIAS] in 2006). His work in these many organizations helped define the term "Central Eurasia" for the academic world.

Sinor's body of work includes 8 authored books, 14 edited books, and over 160 articles in Hungarian, French, English, and German, all of which have received numerous recognition and have been translated into other languages. He served as editor of the Journal of Asian History (JAH) since its inception in 1967, and also for the Indiana University Uralic and Altaic Series (over 174 volumes) and the Indiana University Oriental Series. Sinor was a major figure in establishing the Permanent International Altaistic Conference's headquarters in Bloomington, Indiana beginning in 1962.

Denis Sinor received many honors within and outside of the United States. Some groups include the American Oriental Society and the Oriental Institute of the Russian Academy of Science. He was named a member of the IU President's Circle in 2005, was a member of the French and Hungarian Academies, and was the twice holder of a Guggenheim Fellowship (1968, 1981). The President of the Republic of Hungary awarded the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary to Professor Sinor (2006) and the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain has established a medal named after him.

Sinor traveled extensively in Asia, including Afghanistan, Chinese Turkestan, Soviet Central Asia, Northern Pakistan, Siberia, and Inner and Outer Mongolia. His personal life saw him married to Jacqueline Fauçon, Irene Montjoye, and subsequently to Eugenia (Jean) Trinajstic. He had two children, Christophe (who predeceased his father) and Sophie Berman, a scholar of philosophy. Denis Sinor passed away on January 12, 2011.

Scope and Content:

The Denis Sinor papers are organized into three series: Correspondence (1939-2005), Indiana University, (1950-2008), and Professional activities (1939-2008).

Materials in the Correspondence series include letters, emails, and postcards to and from Denis Sinor relating to a variety of subjects including his personal, family, and professional life. The first sub-series as arranged by Sinor by correspondent primarily represents written interactions with Indiana University faculty. The second sub-series consists of broad, general correspondence to and from Sinor.

Materials in the Indiana University series include notes, correspondence, and newspaper clippings, all of which document the role Sinor had in promoting the importance of Central Eurasian studies throughout campus and abroad. Some organizations represented in this series are the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center (IAUNRC), a group that provides education, training, and programs for those interested in Central Eurasian Studies created by Sinor in 1962; the Sinor Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies (SRIFIAS), an organization created by Sinor in 1967 to supports scholarly research in all aspects of Inner Asian studies; and the Department of Central Eurasian Studies, one of the world's leading centers of academic expertise on Central Eurasia, reorganized by Sinor in 1965.

Materials in the Professional activities series include letters, emails, and postcards, to and from Denis Sinor relating to the many professional groups in which he was active. Some organizations represented in this series include the Journal of Asian History (JAH), which studies the regions of East, South, South-East and Central Asia before 1900, edited by Sinor until 2011; the Permanent International Altaistic Conference (PIAC), an informal gathering of scholars interested in Altaic and Central Eurasian studies, to which Sinor was Secretary-General several times reelected; and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), an organization that strives to build networks among nations through conventions, public, international outreach, and publications, the latter to which Sinor contributed. The PIAC materials consist of general correspondence, lists of participants, updates to contact lists, RSVPs to conferences (typically labelled "Yesses" or "Nos), newsletters, and variations of circulars.

Acquisition information:
Accession 94/025, 2010/089, 2010/091
Custodial history:

Transferred to the Archives in 2004 and 2010 by Jill Zai.

Processing information:

Processed by Amanda Ferrara.

Completed in 2015.

Arrangement:

Collection is organized into three series: Correspondence, Indiana University, and Professional activities.

General note:

Note: A floppy disk is included in Box 18, Series: Professional Activities, sub-series: PIAC, Folder: 2001-2nd Circular.

Photographs Pulled: Nine (9) photographs have been removed and transferred to the Archives Photograph Collection. Two (2) photographs were removed from Box 1, Series: Indiana University, Sub-series: Arranged by Correspondent, Folder: Kormendi, Ferenc. Seven (7) photographs were removed from Box 3, Series: Correspondence, Sub-series: General, "H" (2 of 3), from Denis Sinor to Mr. Stephen Huzianyi, 19 Nov. 1979.

Two (2) Photographs removed: 1.) 3 x 4.5", man in suit sitting on stool, taped on cardboard backing 2.) 7 x 9", bearded man in suit sitting on table with three items in front of him, "With kind regards from Dr Otto T. Rlaithy" on front

Seven (7) Photographs removed: 1.) 3 x 5", skyline of city, bridge, and water, "Budapest 2961/21" on back 2.) 3 x 5", bookshelf, "Part of my library 7-27-79 6270/0A" on back 3.) 3 x 5", A man in a suit in front of a building, "Peter Harras 8-1954 /36" on back 4.) 3 x 5", Two men in suits in front of a building, "Aug. 1954 #34/028" 5.) 3 x 5", A man and woman in traditional clothing in front of a car, "8-22-1937 #116" on back 6.) 3 x 5", A group of 6 children in traditional clothing, "Part of J??? Dancing Group 8-1-1937 #157" on back 7.) 3 x 5", A group of 14 people in traditional clothing, "Part of ?eruoi Dancing group (I was member of this group) Also Secretary, + scwtz 8-1-1937 #156" on back

Contact the Archives Photographs Curator for additional information.

Access

RESTRICTIONS:

Collection is open for research. Advance notice required.

TERMS OF ACCESS:

The donor(s) of this collection have not transferred their copyrights for the materials to the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.

The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials. Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.

Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.

PREFERRED CITATION:

[Item], Denis Sinor papers, Collection C434, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.

CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
Herman B Wells Library E460
1320 East Tenth Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7000, United States
CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
CONTACT:
812-855-1127
archives@indiana.edu