Elliot School of International Affairs | Virtual Event

Description: Researching Central Asia can be interesting, entertaining, life-changing, traumatizing and, at the very least, thought-provoking. The way we, Central Asians and Central Asianists, experience the region differs, but it certainly impacts our lives in a multitude of small and not-so-small ways. Based on first-hand personal and professional experiences of Central Asia experts coming from both inside and outside the region, the book contributes to a much-needed global conversation on identity, positionality, knowledge production, and the intricate interplay between researchers’ values and principles and the pressures of the job. Written for scholars still in the planning stages of their research, it addresses key questions, including:

• How shall we problematize and reconceptualize the concept of positionality through lenses of local voices from the region?
• How does practitioners’ and scholars’ positionality contribute to their experiences of inclusion, exclusion, and access to the field?
• How do scholars navigate issues of personal safety and mental well-being in the more closely monitored societies of Central Asia?

This roundtable provides an opportunity to learn more about the book and engage in a conversation about doing research in and on Central Asia. The speakers include contributors from both Central Asia and Western countries, who will discuss how their subjectivity and positionality shape how they are received in the region, which, in turn, influences how they write about and disseminate their research.

The registration link can be found below.