All Publications
- All
- Announcements
- Articles
- Belt & Road
- Book Reviews
- Central Asia in Global History
- Changing Uzbekistan
- China’s Rising Role
- Chinese Central Asia
- Covid-19 Monitor
- Cultural Lives
- Interviews
- Migration
- Newswire
- Protests
- Reports
- Research Notes
- Transnational Repression
Beyond Silence: Collaboration Between Arab States and China in the Transnational Repression of Uyghurs
Access the full report here This report, which was produced in collaboration with the Uyghur Human Rights Project, assesses China’s…
Afghanistan’s Women: From Challenging ‘No Space’ to Being Silenced
‘When we reached the main street, the Taliban opened fire to disperse us. It felt as if it was raining…
China’s Global Dragnet
Since 1997, the Chinese government has engaged in an unprecedented scale of abuse and reprisals – often called “transnational repression”…
Pandemic Diplomacy: China’s Role in Central Asia in the Era of Covid-19
The Central Asian economies have suffered the consequences of the global pandemic over the past two years. Dependence on commodities…
Resources for Understanding Events in Kazakhstan
Are you looking for more context on unfolding events in Kazakhstan? Below is a list of books, reports and articles…
Tatarstan’s Paradiplomacy in Central Asia
Access the data referenced in the article here. In June 2021, President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov visited…
The Critical Mass Reports on “Contaminated Trust” during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Over one million citizens of Kazakhstan have tested positive for Covid-19 since March 2020. With the delivery of the Russian…
“Your Family Will Suffer”: How China is Hacking, Surveilling, and Intimidating Uyghurs in Liberal Democracies
Download the full report here. Access the dataset of 5,530 instances of Uyghurs being targeted with surveillance, intimidation and harassment…
Event Summary: Analysis of the Uzbek Elections
On October 27, the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs hosted a Twitter Spaces discussion about the recent Uzbek presidential…
Understanding Pushback against China’s Belt and Road Initiative
The Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs is delighted to launch a new project funded by the Smith Richardson Foundation.…
An American in Dushanbe: How Studying Persian in Tajikistan Affects U.S. Students’ Language Learning
I remember locking myself in the bathroom the first time I visited Tajikistan. My host parents’ guests asked me questions…
Call for Applications: Oxus Fellowship Program
The Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs invites applications for a 12-month Fellowship Program as part of a project called…
Against Nike, the Goddess of Slavery: Instagram Artistic Activism Against Forced Uyghur Labor at Nike Sweatshops
An estimated 80,000 Uyghurs from Xinjiang have been compelled to work in factories across China since 2017. This include those…
Soft Power in Central Asia: The Politics of Influence and Seduction
Kirill Nourzhanov and Sebastien Peyrouse. (eds). Soft Power in Central Asia: The Politics of Influence and Seduction. Rowman and Littlefield,…
The Oxus Society Hosts Roundtable on Uzbekistan’s Foreign Policy
////////////////////// On September 28, the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs and the Embassy of Uzbekistan hosted an expert…
The SCO Will Not Fill Any Vacuums in Afghanistan
This piece is a collaboration between the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs. In…
Call for Applications: Workshop on Nationalism and Political Violence in Central Asia
The United States Institute of Peace and the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs invite applications for a two-day…
Workshop on Human Rights Advocacy for Early Career Researchers
We are delighted to announce the third in a series of workshops for early career researchers the organized in partnership…
Sport and Masculinity in Kazakhstan’s Nation-building
Last month Kazakhstan held its annual traditional wrestling championship known as Qazaqstan Barysy (Kazakhstan’s Leopard). Organized in the palace of…
Forceful Displays and Soft Rhetoric: Central Asia’s Response to Developments in Afghanistan
This piece is a collaboration between the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs. The…
“Nets Cast from the Earth to the Sky:” China’s Hunt for Pakistan’s Uyghurs
Read the full report here. “Nets Cast from the Earth to the Sky” explores how China has targeted Uyghurs in…
Covid-19 and Central Asian Over-Dependence on Labor Migration: An Update on the Central Asia Migration Tracker
The Central Asian republics, in particular Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, have become accustomed to exporting excess labor capacity, generating much-needed…
Why Haven’t Kazakh Xinjiang Protests Gained Traction?
Relatives of ethnic Kazakhs detained in Chinese re-education camps in Xinjiang began daily protests demanding the release of their relatives…
Covid-19, Worker Strikes and the Failure to Protect Citizens: An Update on the Central Asian Protest Tracker
Read the report. Get the key takeaways here As the third wave of Covid-19 hit Central Asia with the Delta…
Reframing Russia’s Afghanistan Policy
This article is a collaboration between the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs. It…
Dialogue Summary: Japan and South Korea in Central Asia
Read the summary here. In Spring 2021, the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs and the Davis Center of Russian…
Central Asia Newswire for 21/07/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Kazakhstan vaccinates…
Dialogue Summary: Emerging Forms of Islamic Civil Society in Central Asia
Read the report here. Although levels of religiosity vary, over eighty five percent of Central Asians self-identify as Muslim, with…
Central Asia Newswire for 6/07/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Capital Day…
Central Asia Newswire for 5/07/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Oliver Stone…
Central Asia Newswire for 2/07/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Kazakhstan made…
Central Asia Newswire for 1/07/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan New law…
Migration and Hybrid Political Regimes: Navigating the Legal Landscape in Russia
Despite attracting millions of labor migrants since the early 2000s, Russia continues to be stubbornly referred to as an emerging…
Central Asia Newswire for 30/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Nazarbayev to…
Central Asia Newswire for 29/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Returns…
Public Health Disinformation and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kazakhstan
On June 9, the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs hosted a webinar that brought together experts from across…
Central Asia Newswire for 28/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Former President…
Central Asia Newswire for 24/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Adopts…
Central Asia Newswire for 23/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Kazakh PM…
Central Asia Newswire for 22/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Nur-Sultan tightens…
Central Asia Newswire for 21/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Foreign Companies to…
Central Asia Newswire for 18/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Kazakhstan outstrips…
Central Asia Newswire for 17/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan to…
Central Asia Newswire for 16/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Kazakh Commissioner…
Central Asia Newswire for 15/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Kazakhstan fully…
The SCO Turns Twenty
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was born almost exactly two decades ago, on June 15, 2001 at a glittering event…
Central Asia Newswire for 14/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Tokayev met…
Central Asia Newswire for 11/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Only One…
Central Asia Newswire for 10/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Kazakhstan elected…
Central Asia Newswire for 9/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan “Opened by…
Central Asia Newswire for 8/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan President Tokayev,…
“Reluctant” Decommunization? The Fate of Lenin Monuments in Kazakhstan
Lenin Busts in Semey. Photo from Account.Travel. In December 2014, a crowd toppled a granite Lenin in the center of…
Central Asia Newswire for 7/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Medsupportkz: We…
Central Asia Newswire for 4/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Presidents of…
Irina Kairatovna and Political Art in Kazakhstan
Kazakh music group Irina Kairatovna have become one of the country’s most popular acts, known for their highly successful music…
Central Asia Newswire for 3/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Presidents of…
Central Asia Newswire for 2/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Kazakh Health…
Central Asia Newswire for 1/06/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan First batch…
Central Asia Newswire for 31/05/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan Tokayev on…
Central Asia Newswire 28/05/2021
The Central Asia Newswire is a compilation of news stories about Central Asia, curated each day. Kazakhstan The head of…
Anti-Semitism and Orientalism in German-language Travelogues of Turkestan
In the German language accounts of Central Asia from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the…
Russia’s Power Play in Central Asia
Concerns over Central Asian security have increased in recent weeks as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan engaged in serious fighting on their…
How Manizha Breaks Down the Walls of Identity Construction
Manizha, a Tajik-Russian singer representing Russia in this year’s Eurovision, has made headlines for her outspoken views for progressive social…
Living in Two Worlds: Rethinking Transnationalism and Translocality
Olga Brednikova and Sergei Abashin, (eds)‚ Жить в двух мирах: Переосмысляя транснационализм и транслокальность (Living in Two Worlds: Rethinking Transnationalism…
Young People, Social Media, and Urban Transformation of Dushanbe
Cover photo courtesy of Jahongir Irkaev. Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe is undergoing a rapid urban transformation. The once quiet town known…
Uzbekistan’s International Relations
Oybek Madiyev, Uzbekistan’s International Relations, (Abingdon: Routledge, 2020). Since the death of Islam Karimov in 2016, Uzbekistan has opened up…
China’s Western Horizon: Beijing and the New Geopolitics of Eurasia
Daniel S. Markey, China’s Western Horizon: Beijing and the New Geopolitics of Eurasia. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020). Daniel Markey…
The Silk Road: A Living History
In 2019, photographer Christopher Wilton-Steer traveled overland from the United Kingdom to Beijing in order to document the historic silk road as it looks today. His journey took four months, covered 40,000 kilometers and sixteen countries, and yielded some 50,000 photos, a small selection of which are now on exhibit in Granary Square, London, from 8 April 2021 through 16 June 2021. The Oxus Society sat down with Christopher to learn more about his journey and work.
How Rising Great Power Tensions Will Affect Central Asia
This piece is a collaboration between the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs. The…
Uzbekistan: Reforms Evade LGBTQ Community
On March 28, Miraziz Bazarov, a Tashkent-based blogger who had advocated for the decriminalization of homosexuality in Uzbekistan, was attacked…
Chinese Business in Central Asia: How Crony Capitalism is Eroding Justice
This piece is a collaboration between the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs. China’s…
Online Workshops on Research and Publishing Skills
The Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs and the Centre for Research & Graduate Education, Kazakh-German University, Almaty, are launching a new series of online workshops on research and publishing skills for early career researchers. Topics include research design, writing for a policy audience, writing peer-reviewed journal articles and research ethics.
Embassies and Dignitaries Come Together for International Nowruz Event in Washington DC
On March 19, the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs and Meridian International Center, gathered with the embassies of Afghanistan,…
Indian Merchants and Peshawar’s Connections with Central Asia in the 18th and 19th Centuries
In recent years, the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has hardened following a decision to build a fence along the colonial-era Durand Line…
The War on the Uyghurs
Sean Roberts, The War on the Uyghurs, (Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press, 2020). Sean Roberts’ The War on the Uyghurs…
Emerging Forms of Pax Sinica in Tajikistan and Cambodia
This piece is a collaboration between the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs. In…
Announcing 501(c)(3) Status
The Oxus Society is delighted to announce that we have been designated as a nonprofit with tax-exempt status under Section…
Slow Anti-Americanism: Social Movements and Symbolic Politics in Central Asia
Edward Schatz, Slow Anti-Americanism: Social Movements and Symbolic Politics in Central Asia, (Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press, 2021). America’s…
The Emperor’s New Road
Jonathan Hillman, The Emperor’s New Road, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2020. The short story by Hans Christian Andersen…
The Promise of the Korea-Uzbekistan Free Trade Agreement
Last year, even in the midst of a global pandemic, Uzbekistan held several conferences and talks with Korea regarding a…
Uzbekistan’s Reform Drive Reaches the Banking Sector
Uzbekistan’s adoption of a new Banking System Reform Strategy in December 2020 signals a turning point for the country’s credit…
The Seljuks in Turkmenistan’s Historical Narrative
In Memory of H.T.T., Turkmen scholar and historian Turkmenistan will soon be celebrating its 30th anniversary as an independent nation.…
Understanding Disorder in Central Asia
The five countries in Central Asia — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan — all display varying degrees of authoritarian rule. Across the region, local economies are stymied by corruption, resulting in a dissatisfied and increasingly vocal populace (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 18 October 2019). In two of the republics, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, election-related demonstrations have altered the political landscape, but across the board, state directed-force and mob brutality are rife.
The Lonely Caravanserai at Tash Rabat
In a remote valley of Naryn province in eastern Kyrgyzstan, not far from the border with China, you can find the remains of a 15th century caravanserai called Tash Rabat.
China’s Muslims and Japan’s Empire
Kelly Hammond, China’s Muslims and Japan’s Empire: Centering Islam in World War II, Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina…
Revolution and Rising Discontent: An Update on the Central Asia Protest Tracker
Download PDF This report is based on the Central Asia Protest Tracker. Download our full dataset. By Natalie Simpson, Raushan…
Elections in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: The Challenges of Retaining Power
This article is part of a collaboration between the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Oxus Society for Central Asian…
Exiting from a Sparse Hegemony: Central Asia’s Place in a Transforming Liberal International Order
This piece is a collaboration between the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs. As…
Ten Years Gone: The Legacy of the 2010 Revolution and Ethnic Violence in Kyrgyzstan: A Roundtable
Download PDF Eugene Huskey, Emil Dzhuraev, Gulzat Botoeva, and Nick Megoran Edited by John Heathershaw and Edward Lemon Introduction John…
Ethnographies of Islam in China
Rachel Harris, Guangtian Ha, and Maria Jaschok (eds). Ethnographies of Islam in China. (Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press, 2020)…
“Kelinism” in Kyrgyzstan: Women’s Rights Versus Traditional Values
In traditional steppe society, nomadic Kyrgyz daughter-in-laws, known as “Kelins,” had to make a good impression on their new families…
Year in Review
Notwithstanding the challenges brought by the pandemic, the Oxus Society has had a fruitful first year. Thanks to the generous…
Paying Tribute to the “Last of the Great Masters of Central Asian Studies, “ Edward Allworth
Orhan Babakurban, a New York-based banker with roots in Central Asia, recently launched a tribute website to Edward Allworth (1920-2016),…
There Won’t be Political Reform in Uzbekistan. Here’s Why
On December 10, International Human Rights Day, a group of human rights defenders, activists, researchers, artists and filmmakers gathered in…
Introducing the Central Asia Migration Tracker
Download PDF By Sher Khashimov, Raushan Zhandayeva, Kymbat Nuranova and Zhibek Aisarina Central Asia’s population continues to grow rapidly, with…
The Second Tournament of Shadows and British Invasion Scares in Central Asia, 1919–1933
During the 19th century, Britain and Russia vied for influence in the territories between British India in the south and…
Italy and Central Asia: A Relationship on the Rise
On December 11, Italy and Uzbekistan held a virtual Business Forum attended by Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di…
Join us for Central Asia Trivia Night – Dec. 27 or Dec. 29
NOTE: We have postponed our December 27 trivia night until early in 2021. If you purchased a ticket on Eventbrite,…
Introducing the Scholars of Central Asia Book Database
The Scholars of Central Asia Book Database is intended to showcase the research of scholars from each of the Central…
Mubinjon Tadzhiev – Central Asia’s “Fastest” Man Offers a Glimpse into Bukhara’s History
“10.4 seconds on 100 meters and ‘Finish’! You can’t imagine how exceptional it was back then. A sprinter from Uzbekistan!…
China’s Non-Intervention in Afghanistan
As the current stage of conflict in Afghanistan works its way towards a conclusion, China needs to decide its role…
The Fight for the Right to Speak Kyrgyz in Kyrgyzstan’s Capital
On October 22, Kyrgyzstani businessperson and political activist Umay Arykova published a video filmed by a young Kyrgyz man at…
Safer and Fairer: The Value of Cooperative Approaches to Fieldwork
A longer version was originally published on The CESS Blog. Recent commentaries on reflexivity and the role of emotions in…
Central Asia in Russia’s Afghan Strategy
Moscow’s main goal is to prevent the reemergence of a strong U.S. influence in the region.
The Growing Influence of the United Arab Emirates in a Complex Central Asian Region
With vast energy sources and favorable geography, Central Asia has been subject to intense rivalries between Russia, China, Iran, Turkey,…
The Avengers vs the Orcs: Social Media Nuances in Kyrgyzstan’s (Almost) Third Revolution
On 5 October protests against the parliamentary election results in Kyrgyzstan erupted and on the night of the 6th led…
Four Poems From “A New Diwan (H/T Alisher Navoiy)”
My collection A New Diwan (h/t Alisher Navoiy) is a sequence of 84 short poems inspired by Uzbekistan, its literature…
India and Central Asia: the Strategic Dimension
Phunchok Stobdan, India and Central Asia: the Strategic Dimension, (New Dehli: KW Publishers, 2020). In 2017 Mehbooba Mufti, Chief Minister…
Dushanbe’s Potemkin Hotel: Nepotism and Public Integrity in Tajikistan
For over a decade, the empty shell of a multistory hotel has sat vacant on Rudaki Avenue, the central thoroughfare…
A Troubling Taboo: The Absence of Sex Education in Kazakhstan
Assel was 13 years old when her teacher attempted to educate her about sex. Visibly nervous, the teacher showed the…
Waiting for the Sea: An Interview with Director George Itzhak
Waiting for the Sea from George Itzhak on Vimeo. The film centers on a techno music festival in Moʻynoq, in…
After a Flawed Election: What Next for Tajikistan?
On October 11, a masked Emomali Rahmon cast his ballot in the sixth presidential election in the country’s 29-year history.…
Indian Shikarpuri Trader Communities in Central Asia
Shikarpur is a town in Sindh in modern-day Pakistan sitting at the mouth of the Bolan Pass, which was once…
The Growth, Adaptation and Limitations of Chinese Private Security Companies in Central Asia
In this paper, we explore the third strategy in China’s toolkit by examining the activities of Chinese PSCs in Central Asia, a region of vital importance to the success of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Polymaths of Islam: Power and Networks of Knowledge in Central Asia
James Pickett, Polymaths of Islam : Power and Networks of Knowledge in Central Asia, (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2020).…
Toxic Masculinity and Uzbekistan’s Domestic Violence Crisis
On September 3 Akida Mokhirova , blogger and founder of the charitable organization “Pokiza Insonlar” (“Noble People” in Uzbek), posted…
The Migration – Extremism Fallacy
Even if all 5,000 of the Central Asian fighters in Syria had been migrants in Russia at a particular moment in time, this would mean a migrant in Russia has a 0.05-0.1% chance of radicalizing, based on recent estimates of that community’s size. In other words, there is at least a 99.9% chance of not radicalizing.
As Sino-India Relations Enter Free-fall, New Delhi Finds Itself at the Margins of the SCO
High in the mountains of Ladakh, Asia’s economic giants India and China came to blows in June in their disputed…
London’s Anti-Kleptocracy Setback: A New Way Forward?
Earlier this year, overshadowed by both the pandemic and the ongoing global recession, the United Kingdom took one of its most substantial steps toward rooting out dirty post-Soviet money from British markets.
Avoiding Dependence? Central Asian Security in a Multipolar World
The U.S. is largely exiting the region as a security partner, while Moscow continues to retain a strategic edge over Beijing. But the gap is closing, and, if the trends continue, Moscow may find its influence further undermined in the coming decade.
Mapping Patterns of Dissent in Eurasia: Introducing the Central Asia Protest Tracker
The Central Asia Protest Tracker (CAPT) dataset produced by a team at the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs mapped out a total of 981 incidents in the five Central Asian republics.
Rock in Uzbekistan: A Voice of Diversity
It’s a Saturday night in the center of Tashkent. An unmarked door with a $1 entry fee leads you upstairs…
The Bukharan Crisis: A Connected History of 18th Century Central Asia
Producing a work like Scott Levi’s The Bukharan Crisis ought to be a mandatory service for every senior historian upon…