Book launch - Uyat and the Culture of Shame in Central Asia hosted by George Washington University's Central Asia Program (CAP)

My new edited volume - Uyat and the Culture of Shame in Central Asia - is out and the George Washington University's Central Asia Program (CAP) is hosting our book launch on Oct 27th, 10am DC time / 8pm Astana time. Register here!

This panel proposes an interdisciplinary look at the culture of shame in Central Asia and evaluates its role in the regulation of social and political interactions in the region. Contributors will discuss how 'uyat' relies on patriarchal and hierarchical gender norms that negatively affect women and queer bodies through the taboo of sex education in Kazakhstani schools, favored heteronormativity, and the compliance of parents to give their first born to adoption to the husband’s parents. Yet, some authors will argue that these norms are challenged by young generations. Finally, the panel will touch upon the role of shame in Kazakhstani politics as a form of accountability in the absence of genuine political competition.

The Political Economy of Society and Education in Central Asia. A Scoping Literature Review

This desk-based paper offers a regional overview of four Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (officially the Kyrgyz Republic), Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, applying the political economy lens, with a particular focus on education. The purpose of the review is to support prospective research teams in Central Asia in identifying potential topics for developing research proposals in response to the PEER Network Call for Commissioned Research.

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Please join me and our international team to the launch of the PEER Network on March 4th, 16:00 Nur-Sultan time. (Язык вебинара английский с синхронным переводом на русский язык.)

The network is meant to support local Central Asian researchers in the field of education. A call for 10 research grants of up to £30,000 will be made.
Register here: https://nu-edu-kz.zoom.us/.../WN_fiVx5R5uSHCcAlafFd8PvQ
PLEASE SHARE IN YOUR NETWORKS!

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Hélène Thibault & Naureen Durrani - Thursday 3rd December, 1-2.15pm (GMT). Gender, Education, Conflict & Crisis

Professor Naureen Durrani, Graduate School of Education and Assistant Professor of the Political Science and International Relations Department Hélène Thibault will be delivering an online lecture on “Gender, Education, Conflict and Crises” on December 3rd. Both Professors are members of the PEER Network.

The PEER Network is a three-year initiative led by four universities (Ulster, Cape Town, Nazarbayev and Sussex). The core objective of the PEER Network is to develop a critical and locally grounded approach to Political Economy Analysis (PEA) of Education that will help national, regional and global level policymakers and practitioners make socially just decisions about investments in education that benefit children in contexts of conflict and crisis.

Please Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-political-economy-of-education-intimes-of-conflict-crises-tickets-119873546003

Or you can watch live on the channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8fSNeST25wD4FRMOag5wTg

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Call for papers. Uyat or the cuture of shame in Central Asia.

Uyat, or shame, is a traditional custom in Central Asian republics and is used to regulate individuals’ behaviours and to encourage them to conform to the dominant social norms. In the recent past, a number of well-publicised events have demonstrated the prevalence of this custom and the impact it may have on people, even the powerful such as the Kyrgyz President’s 20-year-old daughter who was accused in 2017 of shaming her family for posting on Instagram photos of her bump and of her breastfeeding her new-born child. 

The prevalence of this custom has even led to the creation of a new cartoon hero named ‘Uyatman’ whose role it was to ‘patrol Kazakhstan to stop women from behaving indecently’ following a well-publicized protest by a man who gained recognition when he publicly denounced the unveiling of a statue in Astana depicting a man and a woman holding each other, because it was possible to see the outline of the female body. Outraged by this artwork which he felt was shameful for women, he covered the female body in a colourful robe to protect her dignity.  

Women are clearly more affected by this custom which reinforces the patriarchal Central Asian culture and its conservative value system that emphasises the importance of a traditional family where the wife is subordinate to her husband. However, despite the fact that women are usually the primary victims of this custom, shame is used in a variety of ways and its weight is also felt by men, especially homosexuals and men who don’t live up to societies’ idea of masculinity, are targeted and shamed for their behaviour. The same can be said in cases where family members see a failure to help one’s relative as uyat. 

This custom raises several questions:

-What are the historical roots of this custom?

-Among what groups of people if this culture more prevalent?

-What are the behaviours that are generally labelled as shameful?

-Is the younger generation less inclined to abide by the demanding nature of this custom?

-What are the forms of resistance people have developed against this custom?

-Is the fear of uyat challenging other forms of authority, such as the one coming from the state? 

Scholars are invited to study these questions (and many more) in an upcoming edited volume on the role of uyat in Central Asia to be published with Palgrave MacMillan in The Steppe and Beyond: Studies on Central Asia series. Those interested are invited to submit a 500-words proposal to Jean-François Caron (jean-francois.caron@nu.edu.kz) and Hélène Thibault (helene.thibault@nu.edu.kz) by January 31, 2021. Scholars whose abstract will be accepted will then have until the Summer of 2021 to submit their final chapter.

 

What’s At Stake In Tajikistan’s Presidential Elections?

7 October, 2020 @ 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

https://centralasiaprogram.org/event/whats-at-stake-in-tajikistans-presidential-elections

Tajikistan is headed to a crucial presidential election on October 11, where incumbent Emomali Rahmon is once more on the ballot, who is in power since 1992.

The other four candidates on the ballot are, Rustam Latifzoda of the Agrarian Party; Abduhalim Ghafforov of the Socialist Party; Miroj Abdulloev of the Communist Party; Rustam Rahmatzoda of the Party of Economic Reforms.

The only opposition party functioning inside the country, the Social Democratic Party boycotting the polls, incumbent Emomali Rahmon is clearly in the advantageous position to win the election, which is held against the backdrop of speculations that he is preparing his son Rustam Emomali as his successor, when and if he decides to step down.

With Tajikistan facing severe economic challenges, due to the dramatic decrease in remitances from the Tajik migrant workers in Russia, and growing domestic crackdown against opponents and perceived opponents of the regime, this panel will analyze what’s at stake in Tajikistan’s presidential elections, and what it means for the country’s future.

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Lecture series of the research network I'm part of. Naureen Durrani and I will present on December 3rd.

THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF EDUCATION IN TIMES OF CONFLICT, CRISES AND PANDEMICS ONLINE LECTURE SERIES. Thursday’s at 1pm – 2.15pm, October 8th -December 10th, 2020. Online on ZOOM

Thursday’s at 1pm – 2.15pm, October 8th -December 10th, 2020 Online on ZOOM

The Political Economy of Education in Conflict Contexts Research Network (PEER Network), funded by the AHRC through Global Challenges Research Fund Network Plus Grant and led by the Universities of Ulster, Cape Town, Nazarbayev and Sussex in conjunction with United Kingdom Forum on International Education and Training (UKFIET) and the Centre for International Education (CIE) University of Sussex are organising a global, online lecture series exploring the theme of ‘the Political Economy of Education in Times of Conflict, Crises and Pandemics’.

This series will be led and hosted by the Centre for International Education (CIE) University of Sussex between October and December 2020 and will be openly accessible, free and online and aimed at scholars and students of international development and education, and all those who seek to better understand the complex situations facing education systems around the world in a period of increasing instability, where education systems are challenged by war, environmental crisis, financial austerity and pandemics that threaten the futures of a generation of young people. The lecture series will be recorded and uploaded onto a designated webpage and contribute to an open source bank of materials and resources on the Political Economy of Education that will be produced by the PEER Network team during the lifespan of the project.

The Political Economy of Education in Times of Conflict, Crises and Pandemics

Whilst the current COVID19 pandemic has brought home to many citizens in the Global North, the fragility of their existence, their education systems lack of resilience, and exacerbated and revealed widespread learning inequalities; in the Global South this is but one more crisis in a long list that have punctuated daily lives and educational journeys. This lecture series seeks to challenge its speakers and participants to go beyond narrow understandings of education and its relationship to economy and society and to critically explore the complex ways that education systems are linked to war, peace, ecological crises, financial crises and pandemics – not merely as victims but also as drivers and catalysts. In doing so we seek to highlight that education systems and actors have agency, capable of producing conflict ridden and crises prone systems as well as succumbing to these factors, and that policy and practice matters in the pursuit of more socially just and equitable educational systems that can contribute to a fairer and better world. We also seek to highlight how education systems are affected by particular crises and what policy options they might have to redress this.

In that sense the series also seeks to recognise that education policy and practice is about power and its projection into the education system by competing social forces. For that reason we seek to draw upon a wide range of contexts and examples to highlight these contestations and their effects on issues of education and social justice/injustice in times of conflict and crises.

Calendar of Events

1. Thursday 8th October, 1-2.15pm (BST). Introduction to Lecture Series and Overview (Mario Novelli, CIE, University of Sussex, UK)

2. Thursday 15th October, 1-2.15pm (BST). The Politics of COVID 19 and Education (Prachi Srivastava, Western University , Canada)

3. Thursday 22nd October, 1-2.15pm (BST). The Political Economy of Education Privatization in Times of Crises (Antoni Verger & Clara Fontdevila, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain)

4. Thursday 29th October, 1-2.15pm (GMT). Evidence & Education Policy Making in the Global South during Covid19: Pundits, Social Movements and Policy Makers in an age of unpredictability (Yusuf Sayed, University of Sussex, UK)

5. Thursday 5th November, 1-2.15pm (GMT). The Construction and Survival of an Intellectual Community during Structural Adjustment in Africa (Nimi Hoffman, University of Sussex, UK)

6. Thursday 12th November, 1-2.15pm (GMT). Towards a Political Economy of Education and Conflict in South Africa’ (Azeem Badroodien and Yunus Omar, University of Cape Town, South Africa)

7. Thursday 19th November, 1-2.15pm (GMT). Academics For Peace & The Political Economy of Repression in Turkey’s Higher Education Sector (Birgul Kutan, University of Sussex, UK & Mehmet Ugur, University of Greenwich, UK).

8. Thursday 26thth November, 1-2.15pm (GMT). The Politics and Policy of Education in Iraq (Kelsey Shanks, University of Ulster, UK).

9. Thursday 3rd December, 1-2.15pm (GMT). Gender, Education, Conflict & Crises (Naureen Durrani & Hélène Thibault Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan )

10. Thursday 10th December, 1-2.15pm (GMT). Rethinking Peace Education: A Cultural Political Economy Approach (Sean Higgins, University of Sussex, UK)

Please Register for each lecture on the link below, and you will be sent a ZOOM link prior to each event. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-political-economy-of-education-intimes-of-conflict-crises-tickets-119873546003

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Call for papers - The impacts of the Covid-19 virus on Central Asia

Since early 2020, the world is at war with an invisible and elusive enemy that has forced all countries to implement extraordinary measures. Following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease outside mainland China, all countries have had to impose quarantine and the lockdown and confinement of entire cities, close their borders, and severely restrict their citizens’ freedom. Central Asia has not been sparred by the virus. After having been able to contain the deadly virus in the early Spring of 2020 thanks to the imposition of strict quarantine measures, it has unfortunately been severely hit by a second wave a few weeks later. Needless to say that this pandemic may leave behind profound political and social changes and ought to force societies to learn lessons from their fight against this virus. This situation raises numerous questions, namely: 

-what has(have) been the main vector(s) of contamination of the Covid-19 in Central Asia? Has(have) is(they) been different from the one(s) elsewhere in the world?

-how can we explain the lack of readiness of the Central Asian health care systems?

-following what surveys and polls have shown, people of Central Asia have shown a lot of skepticism about the virus and have displayed a significant lack of trust toward their government which has also led to the development of a growing number of conspiracy theories. What are the reasons that can explain this phenomenon?

-what will be the long-term socio-economic impacts of this virus on Central Asian republics?

-with China’s economy aiming to recover very quickly from this crisis, will this lead Central Asian republics to open their respective economy to their Eastern neighbor? If it is the case, could this lead to a geopolitical shift in the region? 

Scholars are invited to study these questions (and many more) in an upcoming edited volume on the impacts of the Covid-19 virus on Central Asia to be published with Palgrave MacMillan in The Steppe and Beyond: Studies on Central Asia series. Those interested are invited to submit a 500-words proposal to Jean-François Caron (jean-francois.caron@nu.edu.kz) and Hélène Thibault (helene.thibault@nu.edu.kz) by October 30, 2020. Scholars whose abstract will be accepted will then have until the Spring of 2021 to submit their final chapter.