From Tradition to Digital: Exploring Media and Communication Dynamicsin Central Asia

Location: Voesar Conference Room, 1957 E St NW Washington DC, 4th floor Suite 412

Event type: Hybrid

This seminar will explore insights from the edited volume Mapping the Media and Communication Landscape of Central Asia: An Anthology of Emerging and Contemporary Issues – 9781793633484 (rowman.com). It examines the evolving media environments of Central Asia, focusing on the intersections of traditional and digital media within political, social, and cultural contexts. It brings together diverse perspectives from across the region to address contemporary challenges, such as the role of media in political activism, the influence of digital platforms on civic engagement, and the transformation of communication practices amid globalization.

Elira Turdubaeva, one of the volume’s editors and the featured speaker, will share findings from the latest research, including her own work on social media and civic engagement in Kyrgyzstan. She will highlight key themes from the volume and provide an in-depth look at the current media landscape in Central Asia.

SPEAKER

Dr. Elira Turdubaeva has a PhD degree in Media and Communications from Kyrgyzstan-Turkey Manas University. She worked at several universities, including a prior appointment as Department Head of Journalism and Mass Communications at American University of Central Asia. She is also a founder of a new start-up Online University in Kyrgyzstan and Association of Communicators of Kyrgyzstan. Currently she is a Head of Journalism and Mass Communications Program at International Ala-Too University in Kyrgyzstan. Her research focuses on media and AI, media uses, AI in education, political participation and media, election campaign analysis, protests and social media, social media uses, network analysis, new media studies, ICT and youth, propaganda analysis, representations of gender, journalism education, media and migration, media and activism, surveillance technologies and privacy in Central Asia, hate speech and social media, media and conflicts in Central Asia, etc. Currently she is a Fulbright Scholar at School of Communication at University of Miami conducting research on “Social Media’s Role in Civic Engagement in Central Asia: Pilot Study of Kyrgyzstan”

MODERATOR

Sebastien Peyrouse is Director of the Central Asia Program and Research Professor, IERES, The George Washington University. His main areas of expertise are political systems in Central Asia, economic and social issues, Islam and religious minorities, and Central Asia’s geopolitical positioning toward China, India, and South Asia.