Emil Julienne Habibulina Luy is more than just an author, historian, and cultural ambassador of Tatar heritage.
He also boasts great academic excellence, being a consistent High Honors awardee at the International School Manila (ISM) and receiving the Best Student in International Baccalaureate (IB) History Award in May 2025. He also established ISM’s first Economics and Banking Club, showcasing his interest and prowess in the field of economics.
Emil is also the athletic type, having been a former member of ISM’s Varsity Swim Team and currently representing his school with distinction as a member of the ISM Varsity Soccer Team.
Although one might wonder how these pursuits relate back to writing—specifically about Tatarstan culture—it only takes a few minutes of reading between the lines to see just how deeply they have shaped Emil’s perspective when writing about his heritage.
Throughout its long and storied history, Tatarstan has always been a center of commerce. In particular, the Silk Road crossed or connected with the Volga River, where the surrounding area was settled by the Bulgars in the 7th century, leading to the establishment of the Muslim state of Volga Bulgaria.
When the Kazan Khanate emerged as its own kingdom in the 14th century, it became a powerful and flourishing state—especially in commerce—thanks to its proximity to the Volga River, making it a central hub for culture, trade, and architecture.
Even today, Tatarstan remains a central hub of commerce, serving as a strategic location that connects many European and Asian trading routes and conducting business with numerous countries as a result.
Emil, with his keen eye for economics and banking, recognized these traits of Tatarstan immediately, and through his writing, he is able to clearly and concisely explain these unique characteristics to the general public. As he stated in an interview with Bookshelf PH:
“As an economics enthusiast, I often saw Tatarstan not just in political terms, but as a vital hub of trade, where ideas and goods intersected.”
There is also much that Emil perceives about Tatarstan through the perspective of an athlete. As Emil said:
“As an athlete, I’ve learned discipline and strategy, which helped me frame Tatar history as a collective pursuit of resilience… Soccer, too, influenced my thinking: like a match, Tatar history has moments of defense, offense, and teamwork.”
Alongside being a center of commerce, Tatarstan has also endured many conquests over the centuries. Its lands have been taken by various powers—be it the original Bulgar settlers who founded Volga Bulgaria, the Mongols of the Golden Horde, or, in the case of the Soviet era, regimes that sought to suppress its culture.
In spite of this continued chain of conquest and change, Tatarstan’s culture has remained steadfast, adapting and often drawing influences from different civilizations. The result is a heritage that is not only diverse in its influences but also resilient in the face of turmoil. In many ways, one could view this adaptation and resistance as a soccer team adjusting its strategies to score a goal against an opposing team.
Looking at the perspectives Emil has gained as both an economist and an athlete, there’s a valuable lesson we can draw about how we view our own cultures. We, too, should learn to see our heritage from different perspectives.
Whether from the viewpoint of the common folk, a writer, an official, or any other profession or walk of life, there are countless ways one can appreciate and understand their culture. This, in turn, strengthens cultural resilience and paves the way for people—young and old alike—to continue preserving their heritage in the era of globalization.