London Central Asia Research Network
Call for papers
11th Annual Doctoral Research Workshop
21 January 2023
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its implications for Central Asia and the Post-Soviet space
Convened by Dr Dagikhudo Dagiev and Dr Oybek Madiyev
This event will be hosted online and onsite at the Senate House
Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU
Image source: FT
The aim of this workshop is to analyse the implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for Central Asia and the wider former Soviet Union space. Putin’s description of the former Soviet Union space as ‘historical Russia’ is an imperial claim to the USSR’s legacy imbued in historical rhetoric, making these newly independent nations deeply insecure. This is, in fact, a wake-up call for the governments, elites, and broader public of Central Asia. Despite this growing threat to their sovereignty, the region’s states are still dependent on Russia for labour remittances, and the strategic sectors of oil and gas, and security. This dependence combined with their challenging geographical setting, hemmed in between two encroaching neighbours, China and Russia, generates many anxieties. This was felt most acutely in Kazakhstan, which shares certain similarities to Ukraine with its large ethnic Russian minority and a long border with Russia. Paradoxically, Russia also commands significant leverage among citizens across the region, inspiring sympathy through its public relations campaigns managed by the region’s state-controlled media.
We invite scholars from all disciplines to offer perspectives on how to understand Russia’s military incursion, narratives of its justification in the media, substance of pro-Russian/anti-Russian alliances and changing geo-political relations among the major powers. It is also timely to revisit post-colonial and transition studies to assess the past and generate a perspective for the future. All disciplinary angles with theoretical and/or empirical examinations are welcome, including history, anthropology, economics international relations, political economy, comparative politics, and international law.
Submissions are invited along the lines of, but not limited to, the following themes:
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The region’s evolving geo-political relations with Russia, China, USA, Europe and other major powers such as India.
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Everyday experiences and/or historical analyses of Central Asia and its relations with Russia and China as well as other regional powers (such as Iran, Turkey and Japan).
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Changes taking place in domestic political discourse on nationhood, security and global order by political elites and the wider public.
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The economics of Russia’s influence and the future of Eurasian Economic Union (including currency and trade flow implications).
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Media’s role (including social media) in propaganda and narrative making for all sides in the region.
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How migration to and from Russia influences local economies, communities, perceptions and the future of the remittance economy.
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Emerging alliances between China and Russia.
Submission Deadline: 20 December 2022
Submission details:
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Author’s name, institutional affiliation, and e-mail
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A 250-word summary
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A 100-word author’s biography
Please also state whether you prefer to attend face-to-face or online.
The final aim of the workshop is to prepare a special journal issue based on the papers presented at the webinar.
All submissions should be sent to: londoncentralasia@gmail.com
London Central Asia Research Network (LCARN) www.centralasianresearch.org/
Twitter @centralasianres
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFZVYX0ib6Q
London Central Asia Research Network is a London-UK based group. Our interdisciplinary research network aims to showcase early career researchers working on Central Asia and its wider region. We believe in collective learning and have built a dedicated group of scholars since 2012 through doctoral workshops.
