politics
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Soft Power in Central Asia: The Politics of Influence and Seduction
Since the breakup of the Eastern bloc, Central Asia has been analyzed primarily through the prism of hard power and the great powers’ geopolitical and geostrategic games in the region. Yet, forging long-term relationships with each of the Central Asian states may require less the stick of military or economic coercion than the carrot of… Continue reading Soft Power in Central Asia: The Politics of Influence and Seduction
Representing Cultural Diversity in Russia. The Eurovision contest and Manizha’s “Russian Woman” Performance
Photo: MANIZHA on Instagram The nomination of Manizha Sangin, a Russian singer of Tajik origin, for the EurovisionSong Contest seems to have come as a surprise to everyone. On the one hand, this concerns theconservative part of Russian society, which various political forces are trying to mobilize,condemning Manizha for insulting the image of a Russian… Continue reading Representing Cultural Diversity in Russia. The Eurovision contest and Manizha’s “Russian Woman” Performance
Studying Central Asia: Looking at the Merits of ‘Eavesdropping’
with Svetlana Jacquesson, Director, Central Asian Studies Institute One of the most striking features of Central Asian Studies, as Western scholars have practiced it since the fall of the Soviet Union, is the absence of structured and meaningful debates. Publications proliferate on a given topics, but they rarely engage in a dialogue. The debate on "clan politics" waged among political scientists, anthropologists… Continue reading Studying Central Asia: Looking at the Merits of ‘Eavesdropping’
