Re-imagining “post-Soviet” Central Asia: The role of the GCC and articulating geopolitical identities through capital cities.
With Natalie Koch,Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse UniversityIn the newly independent states of Central Asia, geopolitical practices and affinities cannot be understood in isolation from their Soviet heritage. However, after nearly 25 years since the collapse of the USSR, this near-automatic explanation of contemporary politics in terms of Soviet legacies is no longer… Continue reading Re-imagining “post-Soviet” Central Asia: The role of the GCC and articulating geopolitical identities through capital cities.
The Curious Rise and Development of Central Asian Nationalisms
with Dr. Russell Zanca, Northeastern Illinois University This presentation examines scholarly notions about post-Soviet Central Asia’s future close to the the time of the Soviet dissolution. Given the rather different outcome for Central Asian states over the past quarter century, the author claims that Central Asian states have articulated curious nationalisms that concurrently militate against… Continue reading The Curious Rise and Development of Central Asian Nationalisms
VISIONS OF UZBEKISTAN
"Visions of Uzbekistan" is an exhibition sponsored in partnership with the Embassy of Uzbekistan which will run from January 8, 2015 - February 7, 2015.Uzbekistan is located at the heart of Central Asia, neighboring world civilizations such as China, Persia, and India, and connecting to the Turkic world and to Europe via Russia. The territory of modern Uzbekistan hosted the prestigious ancient civilizations of Bactria, Sogdiana, Parthia and Khorezm and was traversed by caravans carrying precious… Continue reading VISIONS OF UZBEKISTAN
Deciphering Eurasianism in Hungary: Narratives, Networks, and Lifestyles
with Umut Korkut, Glasgow Caledonia University Since the outbreak of the global financial crisis, the Hungarian right engaged in a collective soul searching on what formulates Hungarian identity. Dr. Korkut’s paper elaborates on the discourses of the Hungarian conservative and radical right-wing political and intellectual coalitions that Hungarians in terms of their language, culture, and identity… Continue reading Deciphering Eurasianism in Hungary: Narratives, Networks, and Lifestyles
Second Turkmen Culture Club
Turkmenistan's rich culture is less well-known than those great empires who contributed to it, but Turkmenistan has produced its own fascinating - though under-appreciated - art, music, literature, and cinema.The Turkmen Culture Club welcomes you to explore and experience the creole of deep, desert-isolated nomadic heritage, the 'Lost Enlightenment' of Islamic Central Asia, and the… Continue reading Second Turkmen Culture Club
History and Memory in Central Asia
Opening Remarks: Marlene Laruelle (CAP, GWU) Presentations Guljanat Kurmangaliyeva Ercilasun (Gazi University) Missing Page in Soviet History: Famines in Kyrgyzstan Ali İğmen (California State University, Long Beach) Listening to Kyrgyz Actresses and their Families: Success or Survival? Konuralp Ercilasun (Gazi University) The Virgin Lands in Memories Anar Somuncuoglu (Hacettepe University) Politics of History in Russian… Continue reading History and Memory in Central Asia
Karakum Leadership Forum
KLF Agenda
The Magic of Uzbek Cinema
A Film Festival in partnership with the Embassy of Uzbekistan Featuring film directors Shukhrat Abbasov and Ayub Shahobiddinov You Are Not An Orphan By Shukhrat Abbasov, 1963 September 22, 2015 6:30-9:30pm 800 21st St NW, Marvin Center Amphitheater Reception to follow Shukhrat Abbasov in person Heaven, My Abode By Ayub Shahobiddinov, 2012 September 23, 2015… Continue reading The Magic of Uzbek Cinema
Daniil Kislov – The State of Media in Central Asia
Daniil Kislov is chief editor of Fergana.ru/Fergananews.com web edition. He was born in 1965 in the city of Ferghana, Uzbekistan, but was banned from visiting Uzbekistan in 2005. Fergana.ru information agency is based in Moscow, Russia, where it was established in the fall of 1998. It is one of the most popular web resources dealing with… Continue reading Daniil Kislov – The State of Media in Central Asia
Jesse Driscoll – Beyond Hobbesian Legitimacy: Thinking A Way Out Of Neopatrimonialism in Central Asia
Despite Tajikistan's impassable mountains, hostile neighborhood, and overall bleak structural inheritance, its civil war was resolved with unusual speed. The Tajik Civil War was settled through the selective co-optation of many different field commanders, many of whom were allowed to retain functional control of men and weapons and disappear into the state security apparatus. In the… Continue reading Jesse Driscoll – Beyond Hobbesian Legitimacy: Thinking A Way Out Of Neopatrimonialism in Central Asia
Joanna J. Sienkiewicz – (Trans-)National Social Protection of Repatriates from Kazakhstan in Germany
In the first half of the 1990s, about one million ethnic Germans of all ages resettled in Germany. Many of those movers wanted to return to their 'homeland' and improve their life chances through spatial mobility. But how do the movers and stayers evaluate their migration and social protection now, more than 25 years after… Continue reading Joanna J. Sienkiewicz – (Trans-)National Social Protection of Repatriates from Kazakhstan in Germany
Theodore P. Gerber – Political and Social Attitudes of Russia’s Muslims: Caliphate, Kadyrovism, or Kasha?
Russia's Muslim population, estimated at 16.4 million in 2010, is often considered as a potential source of instability, given perennial concerns about threat of extremist movements, particularly in the North Caucasus, and the efforts of ISIS and other organizations to inspire radical Islam in Russia. However, the combination of fiercely expressed loyalty to Putin and… Continue reading Theodore P. Gerber – Political and Social Attitudes of Russia’s Muslims: Caliphate, Kadyrovism, or Kasha?
Cholpon Turdalieva – Landscapes of Imperial Violence: Kyrgyzstan and the Kyrgyz through the Lens of Western Travelogues
Russian colonial dominance in Central Asia changed the economics, politics and culture of the conquered lands and peoples. Various sources document these changes, including travelogues written by nineteenth and early twentieth century travelers from the U.S. and Europe, such as Frenchman Gabriel Bonvalout; Americans Allworth Huntington and Eugene Schuyler; Lady Catherine Macartney, Henry Lansdell, and… Continue reading Cholpon Turdalieva – Landscapes of Imperial Violence: Kyrgyzstan and the Kyrgyz through the Lens of Western Travelogues
Nick Megoran – What happens when new international boundaries appear? The example of Central Asia’s Ferghana Valley
Central Asia's Ferghana Valley has historically been a mosaic of social groups and identities. The emergence of international boundaries with the break-up of the Soviet Union imposed a new political geographical logic on the social fabric of the Valley. This talk explores the tensions between these two logics of ordering territory, and the effects on… Continue reading Nick Megoran – What happens when new international boundaries appear? The example of Central Asia’s Ferghana Valley
Mirzokhid Rakhimov – Contemporary History of Uzbekistan: Challenges of an Interdisciplinary Approach
Contemporary history is a relatively new discipline for the social sciences and the humanities. Studying the recent history of Uzbekistan is still not an established trend, even in Uzbekistan, and doesn't have its own methodology, research know-how, training or methodological support. Thematic field studies are still narrow, with limited critical approaches and interdisciplinary studies. However, being able to… Continue reading Mirzokhid Rakhimov – Contemporary History of Uzbekistan: Challenges of an Interdisciplinary Approach
25th Anniversary of the Kyrgyz Republic’s Independence Day
In partnership with the Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic to the USA & Canada, Friends of Kyrgyzstan, and US Peace Corps 9:00. Opening by H.E. Kadyr Toktogulov, Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States 9.15-10.15. Panel I. A Policy Perspective Chair: Fiona Hill (Brookings) Nisha Bishwal (Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central… Continue reading 25th Anniversary of the Kyrgyz Republic’s Independence Day
Farideh Heyat – Post-Soviet Women in Transition: Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in Comparison
There are many common paradoxes and anomalies regarding the position of women in the formerly Soviet Muslim republics of Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. These arise from the Soviet legacy of gender equality on the one hand, and patriarchal traditions on the other. The resurgence of Islam as an identity marker in the new independent era… Continue reading Farideh Heyat – Post-Soviet Women in Transition: Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in Comparison
Opening of the Exhibition “Through the Eyes of Durdy Bayramov”
The Central Asia Program is proud to announce the launch of the exhibition Through the Eyes of Durdy Bayramov Turkmen Village Life, 1960s-1980s An exhibition at the Central Asia Program February 7 - May 26, 2017 With H.E. Meret B. Orazov, Ambassador of Turkmenistan to the United States These photographs were selected from Durdy Bayramov's… Continue reading Opening of the Exhibition “Through the Eyes of Durdy Bayramov”
Thomas Kent – Media and Trends in Central Asia
Please join us for a breakfast discussion with Thomas Kent, president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on the latest trends in the media sector in Central Asia. Topics to be discussed include the current status of media, increasing restrictions on press freedom, the influence of Russia's negative propaganda to the region, and the challenges and opportunities for independent… Continue reading Thomas Kent – Media and Trends in Central Asia
Social Cohesion in Kyrgyzstan
Social cohesion has emerged over the last two decades as an important concept in both academic and political discourse, especially in fragile and conflict-affected environments. At the same time, the evidence on how to build social cohesion and peace at the individual level has been quite scarce. This event will review some exciting new evidence… Continue reading Social Cohesion in Kyrgyzstan
Victoria Kim – Re-visiting the 1937 Deportation of Ethnic Koreans to Central Asia + Film Screening of “Koryo Saram The Unreliable People”
Re-visiting the 1937 Deportation of Ethnic Koreans to Central Asia: 80 Years of Survival and Prospering Followed by a screening of Koryo Saram The Unreliable People The year 2017 marks the 80th anniversary of the first deportation of an entire nationality in the Soviet Union. In 1937, approximately 172,000 ethnic Koreans – the entire population… Continue reading Victoria Kim – Re-visiting the 1937 Deportation of Ethnic Koreans to Central Asia + Film Screening of “Koryo Saram The Unreliable People”
Dungans in Central Asia: History, Culture, Pedagogy
Elliott School of International Affairs, 6th floor 1957 E Street NW, Washington, DCAmong the large and small peoples inhabiting Central Asia, the Hui or Dungan occupy a special place. Dungans are Sunni Muslims who moved to the Semirechye region, spanning southeastern Kazakhstan and northeastern Kyrgyzstan, in the 1870s after the defeat of the anti-Qing uprising in China. Today Dungans live mostly in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia,… Continue reading Dungans in Central Asia: History, Culture, Pedagogy
Central Asian Outlook: The Intersection of Trade and Culture
Book talk with author Juneyoung Lee Hybrid Event In this event Dr. Juneyoung Lee will explore the intricate dynamics between trade liberalization, cultural diversity, and protection in Central Asia. Drawing from her book, Culture and International Trade Law: From Conflict to Coordination, and integrating anthropological and ethical perspectives, she will conceptualize culture and its relevance within the… Continue reading Central Asian Outlook: The Intersection of Trade and Culture
The Central Asia Program and the Embassy of Uzbekistan invite you to a movie night!
On September 11, 2001, Flight 101 was a routine flight from Tashkent to Birmingham to New York. The passengers, a diverse mix of Jews, African Americans, Pakistanis, Uzbeks, Russians, and Indians, represented the varied tapestry of humanity. They were businesspeople and workers, each with their own stories, never anticipating that on that fateful day, their… Continue reading The Central Asia Program and the Embassy of Uzbekistan invite you to a movie night!
