Fieldwork Archives - Voices On Cental Asia

Prof. Dr. Judith Beyer specializes in political and legal anthropology. She conducted long-term ethnographic fieldwork in Kyrgyzstan where she studied the practices of retraditionalization – how the concept of traditions…

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17 min

Panjikent, the Central Asian Pompeii. An Interview with Pavel Lurje

May 7, 2020

Interview with Pavel Lurje Head of the Sector of Central Asia, Caucasus and Crimea, Senior Research Fellow of the Oriental Department of the State Hermitage Museum, head of the Panjikent Expedition.Dr.…

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7 min

Fieldwork

The Image of the Snow Leopard in the Archaeological Records of Kazakhstan and its Instrumentalization in Modern-Day Political Agendas

April 24, 2020

This article examines the connection between how archaeological remains were excavated in the past to how such remains are dealt with in present day Kazakhstan. Special attention is given to…

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8 min

Nomads and Soviet Rule: Central Asia under Lenin and Stalin. An Interview with an Author

March 10, 2020

In his book, Nomads and Soviet Rule: Central Asia under Lenin and Stalin (I.B. Tauris, 2018), Alun Thomas examines the experiences of Kazakh and Kyrgyz nomads in the NEP (New…

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9 min

The Mystery of Kyrk-Kyz: From 40 Women-Warriors to the Warriors of Light

January 16, 2020

A mysterious castle in Uzbekistan’s Surhandarya bears the name of Kyrk-Kyz, meaning “40 girls.” Was this a sanctuary of legendary women-warriors, or was it home to a group of Sufi…

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6 min

Humans of the Polygon: Travel Notes from the Land of Abai. Karaul, Znamenka (Kokentau), Sarzhal

October 8, 2019

“We are scared for the future of our kids.”A family in KaraulThe lake created in 1963 on the Polygon as a result of an explosion that used 20 tons of…

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11 min

Trilingual Education in Kazakhstan: What to Expect

May 24, 2019

While the only existing studies consider trilingualism in Kazakhstan in general, this research aims to identify possible risks and prospects for the implementation of the program of trilingualism at regional…

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9 min

Fieldwork

26 Routes in 2 Years: The New Transport Map of Central Asia

March 28, 2019

Austen Dowell is a Research Associate with the ERA Institute, focusing on analyzing regional affairs as part of the Central Asia Watch project. He has studied in Central Asia as…

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13 min

Who Is “Tashkent City” For? Nation-Branding and Public Dialogue in Uzbekistan

June 7, 2018

“If they give me a proper place somewhere nearby, I will move. Otherwise, I will not go anywhere!” – Muhabbat Umarova, a woman in her 70s who is a resident…

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11 min

Building Secure Communities in a Post-Liberal Age: A View from Kyrgyzstan

April 25, 2018

How to build sustainable peace, forge livelihoods, and create a basis for development? These questions have been of central interest to scholars in the fields of development, peace and conflict…

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10 min

Morgan Liu: On “Uzbekness” and Social Justice

March 1, 2018

Morgan Y. Liu is a cultural anthropologist studying Muslims in the former Soviet Union, Islamic ideas of social justice, and the impact of oil extraction on Central Asian societies. He…

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13 min

“Azan on the Moon”: Anthropology of Infrastructure

February 25, 2018

Till Mostowlansky is intrigued by the anthropological study of routes, roads and pathways, and the anthropology of infrastructure more generally. This research interest frames his latest monograph, Azan on the Moon: Entangling…

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8 min

Iconic Places in Central Asia. The Moral Geography of Dams, Pastures and Holy Sites explained by Jeanne Féaux de la Croix

January 29, 2018

Interview Dr. Jeanne Féaux de la Croix Dr. Jeanne Féaux de la Croix is a social anthropologist at the University of Tübingen in Germany. She specializes in environmental issues and…

Law and Custom in Central Asia: An Interview with Judith Beyer

Panjikent, the Central Asian Pompeii. An Interview with Pavel Lurje

The Image of the Snow Leopard in the Archaeological Records of Kazakhstan and its Instrumentalization in Modern-Day Political Agendas

Nomads and Soviet Rule: Central Asia under Lenin and Stalin. An Interview with an Author

The Mystery of Kyrk-Kyz: From 40 Women-Warriors to the Warriors of Light

In case you missed it

Tajik Gahvora: Harmful Tradition or Useful Childrearing Device?

Mosque Diplomacy in Central Asia: Geopolitics Beginning with the Mihrab

Traveling in Central Asia. Helpful Tips from Christian Bleuer

Uzbek Dance Goes Virtual with the 17th Central Asian Dance Camp

Humans of the Polygon: Travel Notes from the Land of Abai. Karaul, Znamenka (Kokentau), Sarzhal

Trilingual Education in Kazakhstan: What to Expect

26 Routes in 2 Years: The New Transport Map of Central Asia

Who Is “Tashkent City” For? Nation-Branding and Public Dialogue in Uzbekistan

Building Secure Communities in a Post-Liberal Age: A View from Kyrgyzstan

In case you missed it

Tajik Gahvora: Harmful Tradition or Useful Childrearing Device?

Mosque Diplomacy in Central Asia: Geopolitics Beginning with the Mihrab

Traveling in Central Asia. Helpful Tips from Christian Bleuer

Uzbek Dance Goes Virtual with the 17th Central Asian Dance Camp

Morgan Liu: On “Uzbekness” and Social Justice

“Azan on the Moon”: Anthropology of Infrastructure

Iconic Places in Central Asia. The Moral Geography of Dams, Pastures and Holy Sites explained by Jeanne Féaux de la Croix

Along the Route of Samuil Dudin’s Expedition: Clothing, Yurt and Decorative-Applied Art of the Kazakhs of the late 19th Century

The Not-Naive Naivety Arts of Tajikistan

Central Asian Migration to Russia: Legalization in 2020

Urban Planning in Bukhara in the Early Post-Revolutionary Years

The Return to Romanticism: Interview with Crimean Tatar folk artist Mamut Churlu