University of Central Asia - Public Lectures

UCA Public Lecture Series

The UCA Public Lecture Series highlights emerging research in and about Central Asia and supports UCA’s scholarly and academic programmes. Coordinated by the UCA Research Programme, the series aims to encourage scholarly discourse at UCA and within the region, raise awareness of existing and emerging scholarship, promote lively discussion, and provide networking opportunities to encourage research partnerships and mentoring relationships. The Series is multi-disciplinary and to-date has included a wide range of topics that speak to UCA’s mission and research priorities, which in turn reflect critical regional issues.

To receive information on upcoming lectures, please email: newslist@ucentralasia.org. If you wish to present a lecture in the UCA Public Lecture Series, please contact publiclectures@ucentralasia.org.

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Public Lecture Series
UCA Bishkek, Krygyz Republic

Launched in 2009, the Public Lecture Series in Bishkek covers a wide range of topics, including cultural traditions, education, labour migration, and natural resource management. Taking advantage of the universities and international agencies working in Bishkek, the Series has attracted both regional and international scholars and highlighted a range of topics. Lectures are usually presented in English or Russian with translations provided when requested in advance.

Lectures in 2011

Non-electoral protest groups in an electoral environment: the ‘new settlements’ of Bishkek and the 2011 presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan. Dr John Heathershaw, UCA Visiting Scholar, University of Exeter and Central Eurasian Studies Society, 13 December 2011.
Social Dynamic and Conflict: A Study of Public Opinion in South Kyrgyzstan. Asel Murzakulova, Policy Expert, Polis Asia. 27 October 2011.
Roundtable: Еffects of Migration on Rural Livelihoods and Families in Central Asia. Antje Elisabeth Kröger, German Institute for Economic Research, Germany; Bakhrom Mirkasimov, German Institute for Economic Research, Germany; Lira Sagynbekova, UCA CAFDP Graduate Fellow/PhD Student, Free University of Berlin, Germany, 13 September 2011.
Exploring Soil Erosion in High Altitude Pastures of Kyrgyzstan. Maksim Kulikov, UCA CAFDP Graduate Fellow/PhD Student, Hamburg University, Germany, 29 August 2011.
Becoming Muslim in Uzbekistan: The Moral Quality of Experience. Dr. Johan Rasanayagam, University of Aberdeen, UK, 24 August 2011.
Weather and Water Patterns in Kara Kulja, Osh: A Climate Change Analysis. Laurie Ashley, Aga Khan Foundation, Kyrgyz Republic & Dr. Natasha Ershova, Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, Kyrgyz Republic, 17 August 2011.
Many Homes: How Kyrgyz Migrants Juggle Their Lives in Multiple Settings. Dr. Susan Thieme, University of Zurich, Switzerland, 4 July 2011.
Production Efficiency Influence on Rural Poverty in Remote Areas of the Kyrgyz Republic. Kanat Tilekeyev, UCA CAFDP Graduate Fellow/PhD Student, University of Giessen, Germany, June 30 2011.
Living in Uncertainty: Agro-pastoral Livelihoods and Institutional Transformations in Post-Socialist Rural Kyrgyzstan. Bernd Steimann, University of Zurich, Switzerland, 9 June 2011.
Growth. Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director,World Bank 3 June 2011
The Drug Situation in Central Asia and Effective Responses: The New Phase of the Central Asia Drug Action Programme (CADAP) of the European Union. Ingo Ilja Michels, 2 June 2011
Hunting with Eagles in Kyrgyzstan: Central Asian Falconry and the Maintenance of Traditional Knowledge. Dennis Keen, Fulbright Fellow, 26 May, 2011.
In the Name of Victory: Turning the Hungry Steppe into “New Land,” Zafarabad, Tajikistan (1959-1979). Christine Bichsel, Senior Researcher, Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Switzerland, 17 May 2011.
Implications of Winter Feed Shortage for Pasture and Livestock Management in Kyrgyzstan. Inam- ur- Rahim, UCA Senior Research Fellow, 12 May, 2011.
Thinking through Water: Interactions at Dams, Pilgrimage Sites and Transhumant Pastures in Kyrgyzstan. Jeanne Féaux de la Croix, Anthropologist, 24 April, 2011.
Kyrgyz Life Cycle Rituals. Abdymitalip Murzakmetov, Professor of Kyrgyz language and Literature, Osh State University, April 5, 2011.
The Experience of Rural Youth in a Context of Changing Education, Learning and Work Conditions in Kyrgyzstan. Rakhat Zholdoshalieva, UCA CAFDP Fellow/PhD Student, University of Toronto, March 29, 2011.

Lectures in 2010

Institutionalised Instability: Factors Leading to the April 2010 Uprising in Kyrgyzstan. David Gullette, Planning & Reporting Analyst, University of Central Asia, December 23, 2010.
Tradition of Ashura among the Iranians of Bukhara (Uzbekistan) in the Context of Socio-Cultural and Religious Life of the City. Dr. Alexander (Sasha) Djumaev, Senior Research Fellow, University of Central Asia, December 2, 2010.
Shifts in Center-Region Relationships as a Condition of Politics in the Kyrgyz Republic. Asel Doolotkeldieva, Central Asian Faculty Development Programme Fellow, University of Central Asia, November 25, 2010.
Social tension in Modern Kyrgyzstan: A Sociological Analysis of Emerging Urban Neighbourhoods. Rita Salmorbekova, Chair, Sociology and Tourism Department, Institute for Social Development and Entrepreneurship, Bishkek, November 18, 2010.
Local perceptions of Glacial Retreat and Livelihood Impacts in the At-Bashy Range of Naryn Oblast. Ann Piersall, Fulbright Student Scholar, September 20, 2010.
Terrestrial Environmental Monitoring Project in Central Asia (TEMP-CA). Nurbek Kuldanbaev, Relascope & Tonje Økland, Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute, September 17, 2010.
The Discourse of Material Progress in Kazakhstan's Housing Boom. Alima Bissenova, Central Asian Faculty Development Programme Fellow, University of Central Asia, August 2, 2010.
The Effect of Radionuclides from the Kadji-Sai Uranium Tailing Site on Water Resources. Zheenbek Kulenbekov, Central Asian Faculty Development Programme Fellow, University of Central Asia, July 29, 2010.
Challenges to Multi-Lingual Assessment in the Central Asian Context. Todd Drummond, Doctoral Candidate, Michigan State University, July 20, 2010.
The Historical Destiny and Cultural Heritage of Badakhshan: Past and Present. Dr. Sunatullo Jonboboev, Senior Research Fellow, University of Central Asia, June 10, 2010.
Ethnography of Jayloo: Continuity and Change in Kyrgyz Nomadic Traditions. Dr. Elmira Kochumkulova, Research Fellow, University of Central Asia, May 27, 2010.
Education in Central Asia at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries: Co-existence, Contrast and Contradictions of the Madrasa, Jadid and Russian-Tuzem Schools. Dr. Roza Abdykulova, Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University, March 4, 2010.

Lectures in 2009

The Impact of Teacher Shortages on the Quality of Education in Kyrgyzstan. (Jointly presented with UNICEF.) Dr. Gita Steiner-Khamsi, Professor of Comparative and International Education, Columbia University and President, Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), September 14, 2009.

Being "Black" in Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia: Adaptation, Identity, and Racism. Dr. Jeff Sahadeo, Professor of History at the Institute of European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies, Carleton University, August 11, 2009.

Migration in Central Asia: Facts, Fiction and Directions for Research. Dr. Kathryn H. Anderson, Professor of Economics, Vanderbilt University and Senior Research Fellow, University of Central Asia, July 21, 2009.

The Future of Higher Education Quality: The American Model or the Successful Model? Dr. Stephen Heyneman, Professor of International Education Policy, Vanderbilt University, July 10, 2009.

Soil Mapping in the Tajik Loess Hills - Decision Support for Soil Fertility Management and Carbon-Sequestration. Dr. Bettina Wolfgramm, Research Scientist, Centre for Development and Environment, University of Berne and Senior Research Fellow, University of Central Asia, May 29, 2009.

Teaching Humanity: Humanism and Narrative in Asian Islam. Dr. Vernon James Shubel, Professor of Religious Studies, Kenyon College, May 6, 2009.

On Writing the History of Women in Pre-Modern Central Asia: Issues and Approaches. Dr. Nurten Kilic-Schubel, Fulbright Scholar, Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University and National University, Bishkek and Assistant Professor of History, Kenyon College, April 16, 2009.

Challenges and Opportunities for Examination-Led Reform in Kyrgyzstan. Dr. Duishon Shamatov, Research Fellow, University of Central Asia, March 16, 2009.

Public Lecture Series
Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Lectures at AKHP focus on various aspects of the humanities, social sciences and current events, and supplement learning and professional development for students and staff participating in AKHP courses. Building on other public resources provided by AKHP, including a well-stocked resource centre, the Series features both scholarly work and information about educational resources.

Lectures in 2011

Samanid Era and Invented Traditions: Identity Formation in the Early Islamic and Post-Soviet Periods. Katherine Hughes, PhD Candidate, School of Oriental and African Studies, London, 26 October 2011.
Socio-political Changes and its Impact on Religious Rituals. Amirsho Lashkariev, UCA CAFDP Graduate Fellow/PhD Student, Tubingen University, Germany, 21 September 2011.
Fragile identities: Belonging and Self-identification Processes in the context of Majority-Minority Relations. Dr.Carole Faucher, University of Tsukuba, Japan. 22 July 2011.
The Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan, Artemy Kalinovsky, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 14 July 2011.
Vernacular Architecture and the Historic Houses of Gyumri, Armenia. Dr Jane Britt Greenwood, Mississippi State University, USA, 12 July 2011.
Gender Issues in Central Asia. Dr. Marianne Kamp, University of Wyoming, USA, Central Eurasian Studies Society, 30 May 2011.
Central Asia and Southern Caucasus: Research and Teaching at the Department of Ethnology, University of Tübingen, Germany. Dr. Roland Hardenberg & Stefanie Kicherer, University of Tübingen, 15 April, 2011.

Lectures in 2010

Islamic Ethics. Obidkhon Kurbonkhonov, Humanities Fellow, Aga Khan Humanities Project, University of Central Asia, December 17, 2010.

Ritual Weeping & Wailing in Funderals in Badakhshan, Tajikistan. Case Study: Shugnan.Mavjigul Dushanbieva, Humanities Fellow, Aga Khan Humanities Project, University of Central Asia, December 17, 2010.

Civil Society & Women’s Rights in Iran. Behzod Jafari, Chemistry researcher, Tajik National University, November 30, 2010.

Under the Red Veil: Staging Afghan Women’s Emancipation in Moscow. Timothy Nunan, Graduate student, Oxford University, November 24, 2010.

Ethnographical Approach to Political Science. Professor Edward Schatz, University of Toronto, November 18, 2010.

Kiryar in Khorog: Exploring the Experience of Community Through Social Capital Theory from Soviet to Post-Soviet Tajikistan. Fayaz Noormohamed, add affiliation, September 27, 2010.

Life of Leon Barzehtski and his Trip to Central Asia. Anna Selevskaya, University of Warsaw, June 10, 2010.

United States Foreign Policy. Mr. Charles Martin, U.S. Embassy Dushanbe, April 27, 2010.

Environmental Issues. Mr. Nicholas Barnett, U.S. Embassy Dushanbe, April 26, 2010.

Sufism. Ajamsho Kalonov, Faculty Development Programme Coordinator, Aga Khan Humanities Project, University of Central Asia, April 17, 2010.

The Challenges of Transitions. Dr. Jim Butterfield, Department of Political Science, Western Michigan University, February 4, 2010.

Lectures in 2009

United States Higher Education. Mr. Kenneth M. Holland, Ball State University, Indiana, December 18, 2009.

A History of the Vanquished: The Central Asian Emigration in the 20th Century. Kamoliddin Abdullaev, Candidate of History (PhD), Tajik National University, Dushanbe, December 7, 2009.
America’s New Afghan War, Supply Line and the Economic Development of Greater Central Asia. Mr. Thomas Michael Sanderson, Deputy Director and Senior fellow, Transitional Threats Project, October 22, 2009.

Philosophical and Anthropological Research of Astana, Medeuova Kulshat Agibaeva, Doctor of Philosophy of Sciences, October 20, 2009.

Language Policy. Dr. William Fierman, Central Asian Studies, Indiana University, October 2, 2009.

Civil Rights in the United States. Dr. Brenda Flanagan, Professor of English, Davidson College, May 22, 2009.

Technology Assisted Language Learning (TALL). Mr. Raheman Lakhani, Project Director, Advance Interactive, Vancouver, Canada, March 20, 2009.

Secondary School Education: Quality and Assessment in Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Dr. Duishon Shamatov, Research Fellow, University of Central Asia, January 8, 2009.

Public Lecture Series
UCA, Naryn, Kyrgyz Republic

Lectures at UCA Naryn expand the reach and impact of the UCA Public Lecture Series, and highlight the work of scholars visiting or conducting research in the area.

Lectures in 2011