Category: Society

Tajik Artists Lead Social Change: The Role of Art in Questioning Tajik Traditional Values

By Lola Ulugova CAP Paper 227 (CAAF Fellows Papers), January 2020 Lola Ulugova (Lolisanam) has been an art manager in Tajikistan since 2000. She has contributed in writing and producing… Continue reading Tajik Artists Lead Social Change: The Role of Art in Questioning Tajik Traditional Values

Choosing Your Battles: Different Languages of Kazakhstani Youth Activism

By Nafissa Insebayeva  CAP Paper 226 (CAAF Fellows Papers), January 2020 Nafissa Insebayeva is a PhD Candidate at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, where she specializes in Kazakhstan’s domestic politics,… Continue reading Choosing Your Battles: Different Languages of Kazakhstani Youth Activism

The Central Asia-Azerbaijan Fellowship Program’s Seminar: Youth as a Factor of Social Change in Central Asia

The Central Asia Program is proud to announce our CAAFP 2019 Fellows’ Final Research Presentation. Join us for a half-day seminar featuring our scholars from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan as… Continue reading The Central Asia-Azerbaijan Fellowship Program’s Seminar: Youth as a Factor of Social Change in Central Asia

Terrorism without a God: Reconsidering Radicalization and Counter-Radicalization Models in Central Asia

By Noah Tucker CAP papers, no. 225, September 2019 Foreign religious beliefs and practices are consistently cited by regional governments and “common sense” public discourse as the primary causal driver… Continue reading Terrorism without a God: Reconsidering Radicalization and Counter-Radicalization Models in Central Asia

The Nazarbayev Generation. Youth in Kazakhstan

The Nazarbayev Generation. Youth in Kazakhstan EDITED BY MARLENE LARUELLE – CONTRIBUTIONS BY AZIZ BURKHANOV; ULAN BIGOZHIN; DOUGLAS BLUM; REUEL R. HANKS; SABINA INSEBAYEVA; RICO ISAACS; AZAMAT K. JUNISBAI; BARBARA JUNISBAI; KARLYGASH KABATOVA;… Continue reading The Nazarbayev Generation. Youth in Kazakhstan

The Many Challenges of Native Language Journalism in Central Asia: The Case of Kyrgyzstan

By Elmurat Ashiraliev CAP Paper 221 (CAAF Fellows Papers), July 2019 Elmurat Ashiraliev is a journalist at Kloop Media, an independent Kyrgyz media outlet that covers topics including politics, human… Continue reading The Many Challenges of Native Language Journalism in Central Asia: The Case of Kyrgyzstan

Visions of Development in Central Asia. Revitalizing the Culture Concept

Visions of Development in Central Asia. Revitalizing the Culture Concept NOOR O’NEILL BORBIEVA In Visions of Development in Central Asia: Revitalizing the Culture Concept, Noor O’Neill Borbieva reflects on anthropology’s withdrawal… Continue reading Visions of Development in Central Asia. Revitalizing the Culture Concept

Improving Human Capital and Social Innovation in a post-Karimov Uzbekistan (video)

As Uzbekistan continues to undergo reforms under Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the improvement of human capital is an essential part of the country’s growth. The country faces numerous challenges regarding its minority… Continue reading Improving Human Capital and Social Innovation in a post-Karimov Uzbekistan (video)

Vulnerability and Resilience of Young People in Kyrgyzstan to Radicalization, Violence and Extremism: Analysis across Five Domains

By Emil Nasritdinov, Zarina Urmanbetova, Kanatbek Murzakhalilov, Mametbek Myrzabaev Research Institute for Islamic Studies, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan CAP paper, no. 213, January 2019 This nation-wide research project explored what makes young people… Continue reading Vulnerability and Resilience of Young People in Kyrgyzstan to Radicalization, Violence and Extremism: Analysis across Five Domains

Urban Tourism and a Culture Clash: Understanding Anti-Arab Tourist Sentiment in Baku

By Sahib Jafarov CAP Paper 216 (CAAF Fellows Papers), January 2019 Sahib Jafarov is a policy researcher focusing on Islam, ethnic and religious conflicts, social movements, bifurcated ethnicities, and urbanization in… Continue reading Urban Tourism and a Culture Clash: Understanding Anti-Arab Tourist Sentiment in Baku

The Dialectics of Post-Soviet Modernity and the Changing Contours of Islamic Discourse in Azerbaijan. Toward a Resacralization of Public Space

The Dialectics of Post-Soviet Modernity and the Changing Contours of Islamic Discourse in Azerbaijan. Toward a Resacralization of Public Space MURAD ISMAYILOV Azerbaijan’s independence came after seven decades of militant… Continue reading The Dialectics of Post-Soviet Modernity and the Changing Contours of Islamic Discourse in Azerbaijan. Toward a Resacralization of Public Space

Symposium on China’s Mass Incarceration of Uyghurs (video)

On 27 November, 2018, GW’s Central Asia Program hosted a Symposium on China’s Mass Incarceration of Uyghurs, which included the following panels and speakers: Panel 1: “Contextualizing the Re-education Camps” James A. Millward, Georgetown… Continue reading Symposium on China’s Mass Incarceration of Uyghurs (video)

Encounters at the Edge of the Muslim World: A Political Memoir of Kyrgyzstan with author Eugene Huskey and Ambassador Kadyr M. Toktogulov (video)

Drawing on three decades of research and travel in Kyrgyzstan, Encounters at the Edge of the Muslim World: A Political Memoir of Kyrgyzstan takes readers on a journey through the unlikely birth… Continue reading Encounters at the Edge of the Muslim World: A Political Memoir of Kyrgyzstan with author Eugene Huskey and Ambassador Kadyr M. Toktogulov (video)

Orange and Blue: the World of Barzu- Promoting Central Asia through Children’s Literature (video)

Author Marina Abrams introduces Central Asia through children’s literature in her new book Orange and Blue: The World of Barzu. The story is told through the young boy, Barzu, who lives in… Continue reading Orange and Blue: the World of Barzu- Promoting Central Asia through Children’s Literature (video)

Challenges to Freedom of Movement in Azerbaijan

Protesters hold Azerbaijani flags and posters with portraits of opposition candidate Camil Hasanli during a rally in Baku, Azerbaijan, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013. Thousands have gathered in the capital of Azerbaijan to protest the re-election of President Ilham Aliyev in a vote widely criticized by international election monitors. The protesters in Baku are demanding that the election be nullified and that Aliyev resign. Aliyev succeeded his father to the presidency of this small oil-rich nation in 2003, extending decades of dynastic rule. (AP Photo / Aziz Karimov)

By CAP CAP Paper 210, August 2018 Tural Aghayev is an Azerbaijani human rights lawyer. He received a Bachelor’s degree from Baku State University Law School in 2008. He subsequently… Continue reading Challenges to Freedom of Movement in Azerbaijan

What Happens When Your Town Becomes an ISIS Recruiting Ground? Lessons from Central Asia about Vulnerability, Resistance, and the Danger of Ignoring Perceived Injustice

By CAP CAP Paper 209, July 2018 Noah Tucker is an Associate for the Central Asia Program at the Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University, and is Senior… Continue reading What Happens When Your Town Becomes an ISIS Recruiting Ground? Lessons from Central Asia about Vulnerability, Resistance, and the Danger of Ignoring Perceived Injustice