Religion, State and Secularism in Eurasia… and Beyond
This seminar will explore state-sponsored secularism in the Eurasian continent, and how the authorities use the concept of the separation of state and religion to consolidate authoritarian policies. It looks…
Syria Calling: Migration, Mobilization and the Transformation of the Central Asian Jihad
with Eileen O’Connor, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs and Noah Tucker, Registan.net Key points: • Perhaps surprisingly, ISIS appears to be weak in its…
Tracking Factors of Change in Tajikistan
12:30 Light Lunch 12:45-1:30pm Keynote Speaker Eric McGlinchey (George Mason University) Using a Wide Lens to Assess the Narrow Risk of Radical Islam in Tajikistan 1:30-3:30pm Panel I. Tajikistan Today:…
Negotiating Identity in Kyrgyzstan: Nationality, Islam, and the Meaning of Tradition
with Vincent Artman, University of KansasSince independence, Kyrgyzstan, like the other Central Asian states, has been confronted with the challenge of articulating a viable national identity.Drawing upon five months of fieldwork, this…
Islam and the Dynamics of Ethno-confessional Regimes in Russia, 1990-2012
with Bulat Akhmetkarimov, SAIS, Johns Hopkins UniversityWhy would a secular state change its policies toward religion? Research on secularism and state policies toward religion suggests several models of interaction. However, these…
Religion and Identity in Eurasia
This seminar will explore how religion articulates itself both through localized identities, based on community belonging, ethnic or national references, and with globalized identities (the Ummah, some transnational brotherhoods, proselytizing…
Islam, Secularism and Security in Central Asia and Beyond
In partnership with the British Council's Bridging Voices Project 2014/15 The purpose of the dialogue is to undertake a debate about the relationship between Islam and secularism with respect to…
Desecularization Post-Soviet Style: Delimitations of New Religious Public Space in Central Asia
with John Schoeberlein, Nazarbayev University Modernization theory has run into some snags regarding religion in Central Asia. The Post-Reformation modernity in Europe brought convictions and institutions aimed at ensuring religious life…
Islam as a Power Resource: Instrumentalization of Religion in Central Asia
with Mariya Y. Omelicheva, University of KansasHow can Islam play multiple and contradictory roles as a source of violence and peace, and a marker of identity differences and national unity? This…
Private Life in Public Spaces: Discourse, Ummah, and (Muslim) Piety in Tatarstan
In this new project, Dr. Karimova explores the relationship between public and private space, discourse, Muslim piety, and the notion of Ummah in present-day Tatarstan. She illustrates how physical space…
Discussion with Rabbi Yeshaya Cohen, Chief Rabbi of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Rabbi Yeshaya Cohen was born in 1971 in Jerusalem, Israel. In 1993, he became assistant to the rabbi of the Grand Choral synagogue in St. Petersburg, Russia, and since 1994 he has…
Religion-Branding? Central Asia’s Integration into the International Scene through Religion
10:00am-12:00pm. Session 1. Central Asian States and the Gulf Countries. In Search of New Models of Development Luca Anceschi (Glasgow University, UK), Natalie Koch (Syracuse University), Bruno de Cordier (Gent…
Public and State Responses to ISIS Messaging in Central Asia
This workshop and policy discussion will mark the launch of a new series of policy papers from the CERIA initiative that examine state and public responses to ISIS and its…
The Fight for Followers: Muslimness and Authenticity in Tajikistan
Recently, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon has sought new ways to reassert his Muslim identity. These public acts of piety serve not only to sway the population toward the state…
Adeeb Khalid – The Making of Uzbekistan: Nation Making in an Age of Revolution
Uzbekistan appeared on the map in 1924. Adeeb Khalid traces its emergence in the interstices between Soviet nationalities policies and the strivings of the Central Asian Muslim intelligentsia. Understanding the origins…
Aurélie Biard – The Tablighi Revivalism and its Social and Political Implications in Kyrgyzstan
How are revivalist forms of Islam emanating from the Indian subcontinent, especially the 'preaching group' of the Tablighi Jama'at, impacting the construction of post-Soviet national identities and attitudes vis-à-vis society…
Michele Commercio – The Rise of Polygamy in Kyrgyzstan: A Consequence of the Country’s Post-Soviet Islamic Revival?
Although there are no official statistics reflecting cases of polygamy in Kyrgyzstan, anecdotal evidence suggests that polygamy is on the rise. This talk explores possible reasons for this and asks,…
Alexander Wolters – Islamic Finance in Central Asia: From ‘Great Potentials’ to Lasting Stagnation
The rise of Islamic Banking in Central Asia has been predicted and expected by both experts and state and economic stakeholders. The financial crisis in 2008 had triggered first initiatives…
Edward Lemon – Extraterritorial Security: Governing Islam and Security Beyond Tajikistan
Often considered Central Asia's 'weakest' state, Tajikistan has nonetheless created a relatively sophisticated network through which it monitors and targets both secular and religious opponents abroad. Since 2002, the government…
Galina Yemelianova – Official Islamic Leadership in Central Asia: The Soviet Legacy
Central Asia is widely associated with Islam. However, throughout history the role of Islam in the region has been ambiguous and it has been mitigated by the pre-Islamic civilizational heritage,…
Sophie Roche – The Moscow Cathedral Mosque in the Life of Migrants from Central Asia
In this discussion, Sophie Roche will unfold the social life of migrants in, around and through the main mosque in Moscow, Prospekt Mira. This mosque is important for Putin's politics…
Sergey Abashin – Central Asian Migrants in Russia: Will there be a Religious Radicalization?
Religious radicalization among Central Asian migrants to Russia have raised particular attention in connection with the active recruitment by the "Islamic State" of many people from the region, as well…
Islamic Education and Knowledge Transmission in Central Asia
Islamic Education and Knowledge Transmission in Central Asia April 10, 2017, 9:30am-3:00pm Central Asia Program, IERES George Washington University 1957 E Street, NW, Lindner Commons, Suite 602 9:30am. Session 1.…
Julie McBrien – The Tricky Matter of Defining Religion
What is religion? The answer to this question is either so obvious that it needs no asking, or so abstract and theoretical that we end up declaring it insoluble. The…
