Voices On Cental Asia

The process of leadership change in Kazakhstan has unexpectedly accelerated. With a presidential election scheduled for June 9, 2019, there are less than 3 weeks for candidates to be nominated.…

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9 min

Contemporary art

Occidentalizing America: Art of a Visiting Scholar

April 3, 2019

– I always wanted to be an artist. When I was in high school, my dream was to be accepted to the Repin Academy in St. Petersburg or the Surikov…

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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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9 min

Society

Nazarbayev Generation. Kazakhstan’s Youth, National Identity Transformations and their Political Consequences

March 21, 2019

Half of Kazakhstan’s population was born after Nazarbayev took power three decades ago: those aged under 29 comprise 9 million Kazakhstani citizens, or 51 percent of the population.They have no…

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23 min

The Hungry Steppe: Famine, Violence, and the Making of Soviet Kazakhstan with author Sarah Cameron (video and transcript)

March 14, 2019

The Hungry Steppe: Famine, Violence, and the Making of Soviet Kazakhstan examines one of the most heinous crimes of the Stalinist regime, the Kazakh famine of 1 930–33. More than…

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11 min

Politics

#Hashtag Activism: Youth, Social Media and Politics in Kazakhstan

March 4, 2019

The growing popularity of the content created by young bloggers in Kazakhstan implies that coverage of political and socio-economic issues is beginning to sell. Social media platforms act as safe…

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9 min

Society

Secondary Schools and Inequality: Navigating the Fragmented Landscape of Educational Choices in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

February 22, 2019

Author Aigoul Abdoubaetova researches the growing gap in educational opportunities in Kyrgyzstan. She is Programme Manager of the MA in Politics and Security at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan,…

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11 min

Politics

Russia and Kazakhstan: What’s Next? An Interview with Askar Nursha

February 13, 2019

Askar Nursha, a Kazakh political analyst and dean of the ALMA University School of Public Policy and Law, has published a book, Putinskaia Rossiia: geopoliticheskii revansh ili agressivnaia oborona? (Putin’s…

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17 min

Culture

Olzhas Suleimenov on Eurasianism, Internationalism and the Forgotten Past

February 6, 2019

Olzhas Suleimenov is a poet, literary scholar, public figure, and diplomat. His contribution to the Kazakh culture is hard to overestimateAlongside his legendary book Az i Ya and his staggering poetry,…

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11 min

Society

Vulnerability and Resilience of Young People in Kyrgyzstan to Radicalization, Violence and Extremism: Analysis Across Five Domains

February 1, 2019

Youth occupies a special place in radicalization processesThis is even reflected in the names of some terrorist groups: Taliban means “students” and Al-Shabab means “young men” (4). In Central Asia,…

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8 min

Current affairs

A “Golden Age” No More? What 2019 Will Bring for Turkmenistan

January 24, 2019

The name of the official news site of the government of Turkmenistan expresses what might be the closest thing to the sealed-off state’s official ideology: Zolotoi Vek, or Golden Age.…

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7 min

Dragon’s Tender Hug: Prosperity Discourse and China’s Soft Power in Kazakhstan

January 15, 2019

Daniyar Kosnazarov Daniyar Kosnazarov is a visiting fellow at The George Washington University. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Steppe, an independent digital media outlet in Kazakhstan. He has experience…

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7 min

Books

Best Books on Central Asia in 2018

December 21, 2018

New publications on Central Asia have appeared in genres ranging from history—The Rise and Fall of Khokand, 1709-1876 by Scott Levy, and Laboratory of Socialist Development by Artemy Kalinovsky—to security…

Are Risks Increasing for Kazakhstan? An interview with Dossym Satpayev

Occidentalizing America: Art of a Visiting Scholar

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

Nazarbayev Generation. Kazakhstan’s Youth, National Identity Transformations and their Political Consequences

The Hungry Steppe: Famine, Violence, and the Making of Soviet Kazakhstan with author Sarah Cameron (video and transcript)

In case you missed it

A Brief History of Collecting Abr Clothing from Uzbekistan

Is Central Asia Moving Beyond Russia? An Interview with Johan Engvall

Why Is Job Insecurity So Widespread in Independent Uzbekistan?

#Hashtag Activism: Youth, Social Media and Politics in Kazakhstan

Secondary Schools and Inequality: Navigating the Fragmented Landscape of Educational Choices in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Russia and Kazakhstan: What’s Next? An Interview with Askar Nursha

Olzhas Suleimenov on Eurasianism, Internationalism and the Forgotten Past

Vulnerability and Resilience of Young People in Kyrgyzstan to Radicalization, Violence and Extremism: Analysis Across Five Domains

In case you missed it

A Brief History of Collecting Abr Clothing from Uzbekistan

Is Central Asia Moving Beyond Russia? An Interview with Johan Engvall

Why Is Job Insecurity So Widespread in Independent Uzbekistan?

A “Golden Age” No More? What 2019 Will Bring for Turkmenistan

Dragon’s Tender Hug: Prosperity Discourse and China’s Soft Power in Kazakhstan

Best Books on Central Asia in 2018