Cinema Club Film Screening: Tahir and Zuhra
A 15th-century Uzbek 'Romeo and Juliet', this film, by Nabi Ganiev, quickly became one of the canons of Soviet cinema. "Takhir and Zukhra are childhood sweethearts brought up together at the royal court, only to be torn apart as teenagers when Takhir is banished from the kingdom. Shot in shimmering black-and-white by Daniil Demutsky, the… Continue reading Cinema Club Film Screening: Tahir and Zuhra
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 muftiyat, but also to counter opposition narratives that the ruling family is not Muslim enough. This presentation explores the growing ideological and practical divisions between… Continue reading The Fight for Followers: Muslimness and Authenticity in Tajikistan
The Central Asia Security Workshop
9:00am. Registration and Breakfast 9:30-11:00am. Session 1. The Chinese ‘One Belt One Road’ Strategy Chair: Robert Sutter (George Washington University) Alexander Cooley (Harriman Institute, Columbia University) One Road, One Belt, Many Headaches: the Economic, Political and Social Challenges of OBOR in Central Asia Rafaello Pantucci and Sarah Lain (RUSI, London) China and Russia in Central… Continue reading The Central Asia Security Workshop
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 of the Uzbek national project also shed light on the relationship between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and is thus of profound contemporary relevance. Adeeb Khalid is Jane… Continue reading Adeeb Khalid – The Making of Uzbekistan: Nation Making in an Age of Revolution
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
Selbi Jumayeva – Feminist Organizing in Kyrgyzstan
During this discussion, Selbi Jumayeva will share her experiences in the women’s rights activism, feminist organizing and anti-violence campaigning in Kyrgyzstan and discuss gender and sexuality issues in Central Asia, particularly in times of backlash and conservative reactionary politics. Selbi Jumayeva is a visiting research fellow (WEF) at the International Gender Studies Centre at LMH,… Continue reading Selbi Jumayeva – Feminist Organizing in Kyrgyzstan
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
Cinema Club Screening: “The Builders (Stroiteli)” (2013)
Three siblings - two teenage brothers and their little sister - are evicted from their apartment. The youngsters' last hope rests on a plot of land outside of the city, to which they have a legitimate claim. But soon officials arrive in a jeep to tell them that, unless they build a foundation within the… Continue reading Cinema Club Screening: “The Builders (Stroiteli)” (2013)
Yerken Turganbayev – Regional Disparities in Kazakhstan
Economic development in Kazakhstan was accompanied by increasing disparities across the country's various regions, which has contributed to a number of social and economic problems. The urgency to find a solution to these problems has made research into the dynamics of regional inequality a hot issue for both policymakers and economists, even more so today because of… Continue reading Yerken Turganbayev – Regional Disparities in Kazakhstan
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
Inside the Pyramid: Is Central Asia Authoritarianism Stable?
Patrimonial, patronal, clientelistic: Central Asia’s authoritarian power is often classified in these terms. The proliferation of analytical rubrics and conceptual lenses to delve into regional developments confirms that, if anything, Central Asian politics are profoundly complex. The regional conformation of power does however remain relatively stable. Regime durability, in most cases, is supported by the… Continue reading Inside the Pyramid: Is Central Asia Authoritarianism Stable?
Understanding Regime Legitimacy in Central Asia
A round table organized by GW's Central Asia Program and CRCEES, University of Glasgow Chair: Marlene Laruelle (GWU) Sally Cummings (St Andrews) Edward Schatz (University of Toronto) Luca Anceschi (Glasgow University) Patrimonial, patronal, clientelistic: Central Asia's authoritarian power is often classified in these terms. The proliferation of analytical rubrics and conceptual lenses to delve into regional developments… Continue reading Understanding Regime Legitimacy in Central Asia
Cinema Club in Partnership with the Embassy of Tajikistan: “Rostam and Sohrab” (1971)
Opening remarks by H.E. Farhod Salim, Ambassador of Tajikistan in the United States. This epic masterpiece by Tajik director Boris Kimyagarov is a patriotic ode to the Persian poet Ferdowsi. The Legend of Rostam and Sohrab, one of the three films Kimyagarov directed as part of a trilogy, is part of the 10th-century Persian epic Shahnameh. It tells the… Continue reading Cinema Club in Partnership with the Embassy of Tajikistan: “Rostam and Sohrab” (1971)
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?
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 and politics? From its emergence in the early 1990s, Tablighi proselytization gradually drew a new universe of meaning that rejects the values of contemporary Kyrgyz… Continue reading Aurélie Biard – The Tablighi Revivalism and its Social and Political Implications in Kyrgyzstan
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, specifically, whether it is a consequence of Kyrgyzstan's post-Soviet Islamic revival. The research is based on interviews conducted with representatives of non-governmental organizations representing women,… Continue reading Michele Commercio – The Rise of Polygamy in Kyrgyzstan: A Consequence of the Country’s Post-Soviet Islamic Revival?
David Kemme & Kassymkhan Kapparov – The Evolution of the National Oil Fund of Kazakhstan: Inception, Utilization and Expectations
The National Oil Fund of Kazakhstan (NOF) was created by Presidential Decree in 2002. Funded by direct taxes and royalties from natural resource producers, it was intended to be a stabilization fund and a savings fund invested outside the Kazakh economy. Withdrawals from the fund are "guaranteed" transfers to the government budget and "targeted"… Continue reading David Kemme & Kassymkhan Kapparov – The Evolution of the National Oil Fund of Kazakhstan: Inception, Utilization and Expectations
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
Nargis Kassenova & CAAFP Fellows – New Challenges in Central Asia. Changing Societies in a Time of Economic Crisis
With Nargis Kassenova (KIMEP) and the Central Asia - Azerbaijan Program Fellows Chair: Marlene Laruelle (IERES, GW) 3:00pm. Nargis Kassenova (KIMEP) Kazakhstan 2016: The Politics of Crisis Discussion 4:00pm Kassymkhan Kapparov (Kazakhstan) Invisible Public Debt: The Case of Kazakhstan Sabina Insebayeva (Kazakhstan) A Quest For Status, Legitimacy And Ontological Security: The Image-Conscious Kazakhstan Discussion 5:00pm.… Continue reading Nargis Kassenova & CAAFP Fellows – New Challenges in Central Asia. Changing Societies in a Time of Economic Crisis
STOCKHOLM – Tajikistan. Approaches, fieldworks and topics
A Conference organized by the Swedish Institute of International Affairs and The George Washington University’s Central Asia Program (CAP) Stockholm, June 13-14, 2016 June 13, 2016 9.45-10.00 Welcoming Remarks and Coffee 10.00- 11.00 Panel 1. Tajikistan at the Interplay of Foreign and Domestic Policies David Abramson (US State Department) Interwoven Affairs: Foreign and Domestic Politics in… Continue reading STOCKHOLM – Tajikistan. Approaches, fieldworks and topics
Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh – Book Launch for “A Rock Between Hard Places: Afghanistan as an Arena of Regional Insecurity”
By Kristian Berg Harpviken and Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh What drives neighboring states to intervene in the Afghan conflict? This book challenges mainstream analyses which place Afghanistan at the center - the so-called 'heart' - of a large pan- Asian region whose fate is predicated on Afghan stability. Instead Harpviken and Tadjbakhsh situate Afghanistan on the margins of three… Continue reading Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh – Book Launch for “A Rock Between Hard Places: Afghanistan as an Arena of Regional Insecurity”
Safarbek Soliev – Film Screening: “Komil”
A documentary film about the founder of Tajik and Uzbek cinematography, Komil Yormatov, with introductory remarks by director Safarbek Soliev. Please RSVP. Presented in partnership with Asia-Plus.
