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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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'…
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.
Regime Succession in Uzbekistan: Update and Discussion – Co-Organized with CSIS
With rumors circulating that Uzbek President Islam Karimov has died, the academic question of regime succession had become very immediate. What’s next for Uzbekistan, and what does that mean for…
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…
Yerlan Karin – Central Asian Fighters in Syria: Classification, Factors, Scale Assessment
The war in Syria, like a magnet, pulled radicals from around the world, including Central Asian fighters. There are different figures on the number of Central Asian militants in Syria. Separate research was…
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…
Cinema Club Film Screening: The Rhythm (Uzbekistan, 2014)
Directed by Nozim Tulahodjaev This featured film tells the fate of a talented Uzbek musician who plays 'doira' (a musical instrument). As his life runs its course, Sharif-aka is exposed to…
MOSCOW – Third International Conference on Uyghur Studies: History, Culture, Society
View the full program.
What Changes in a Post-Karimov Uzbekistan?
2:15-3:45pmSession 1. Changes in the Uzbek domestic landscape Chair: Marlene Laruelle (GWU) Bruce Pannier (RFE/RL) Softer on the Outside but Still Hard at the Core Dillorom Abdulloeva (Tashabbus) What Changes…
Richard Weitz – Enhancing the Georgia-US Security Partnership
For several decades, Georgia has been one of the most important economic and security partners of the United States. The US is the largest bilateral aid donor to Georgia, having…
Michael Clarke – Beijing’s “March West”: One Belt, One Road and China’s Quest for Great Power Status
With Michael Clarke, National Security College, Australian National University Much ink has been spilt over the past two decades debating the impact of the 'rise' of China on the international relations…
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…
Zhanna Issabayeva – Kazakh Film Festival: My Dear Children (2009)
with director Zhanna Issabayeva in person In this sharp, socially aware comedy a Kazakh mother tries to collect enough money from her four older children so that her youngest son…
Zhanna Issabayeva – Kazakh Film Festival: Nagima (2013)
with director Zhanna Issabayeva in person "Heartrending is too mild a word to describe "Nagima," an unblinking look at the vulnerable social position of single women in Kazakhstan. Zhanna Issabayeva depicts…
David Montgomery – Becoming Muslim in an Islamic Land: Social Navigation and Religious Change in Kyrgyzstan
Central Asia is s a Muslim-majority region, though what that means for social and political life is contested. Discussing the argument of his recent book, Practicing Islam: Knowledge, Experience, and Social…
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…
Cinema Club Film Screening: Kosh Ba Kosh (Tajikistan, 1993)
Winner of the Silver Lion Prize in the 1993 Venice Film Festival "The film tells a romantic love story, happening against the background of Civil War in Tajikistan (1993-1996). Curfews,…
