The Central Asia Program is proud to announce our Spring 2021 CAAFP Fellows’ Final Research Presentation. This brief seminar features our scholars from Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan as they present their research on the current cultural, educational, environmental, and gender related issues in Central Asia.
Spring 2021 CAAFP Fellows and their research:
Violent Extremism and Youth: How to Build a Productive Dialogue Between Young People and Government by Anastassiya Reshetnyak –
The paper analyzes current Kazakhstani policy for preventing violent extremism (PVE) and, based on the results of field research (a survey and focus groups with young people), suggests possible mechanisms and methods for improving PVE policy targeted at youth.
Educated-Abroad Youth and the Advancement of Gender Equality in Turkmenistan: A Cog in the Machine or a Game Changer? by Rustam Muhamedov –
The study explores the potential of youth educated abroad, particularly in Belarus and Russia, to become socially engaged in addressing gender inequality upon their return to Turkmenistan. The issue of gender equality provides an important lens for measuring the civic maturity of this group and its interest in—and commitment to—positive progressive change. The study explores these students’ motivation to get involved in addressing these issues, investigates their gender perceptions, and evaluates the extent to which their experiences studying and living abroad have contributed to their understanding of their own social roles and to their interest in social activism.
Inequality Between Students of Rural and Urban Schools of Kazakhstan: Reasons and Prospects for Overcoming it by Zhaslan Nurbayev-
This research aims to analyze factors leading to inequality between students in rural and urban schools, as well as to find a solution to the on-the-ground issue. The empirical part of the study is based on a mass online survey whose respondents included the heads and teachers of rural and urban secondary schools, as well as semi-structured interviews with representatives of the education sector: researchers, experts, and managers of secondary education.
Owning and Disowning the Female Body: Mediating Gender, Power and Emerging Markets by Aida Naizabekova –
Aida explores contemporary female representation and its public perception in Kazakhstan. Through the case study of a particular social media influencer, she demonstrates the transformation of body practices and female sexuality from the pre-Soviet period to the present. Her research hypothesis suggests that female sexuality in Kazakhstan is located in the borderland between several contradicting public domains (including media, culture, and policy) and creates significant struggles for women in Kazakhstan.
Transition to Sustainability in Azerbaijan: Policy Review and Analysis by Ilaha Abasli –
The policy paper explores Azerbaijan’s sustainability policies (2010-2020) by synthesizing public opinion data on environmental matters and economic growth and reviewing sustainable development policies. The brief takes a systems thinking approach to existing policy gaps and policy recommendations, analyzing and designing holistic solutions to environmental challenges and economic development and integrating local knowledge and practices in order to achieve community-level sustainability frames.