Long Abstract:

While Central Asian Studies has developed into a thriving multidisciplinary field, scholarship has focused more on advancing discussions among scholars than on providing an entry into the field for those beginning to learn about the region. Central Asia in Context: A Thematic Introduction to the Region (Montgomery. Forthcoming, University of Pittsburgh Press) attempts to address this gap by bringing together over 50 leading scholars to discuss the varied thematic contexts in which Central Asians live and make sense of the world. In this panel, contributors from the volume will speak from their chapters on how to more holistically educate about the region, with a specific focus on how to present academic insights to a policy audience.

Discussing Central Asia in Context, part 1

David Montgomery - Moderator

Scott Levi - early history

Ali Igmen - Soviet history

Laura Adams - national identity

Eva-Marie Dubuisson - case: aitys

Jennifer Murtazashvili - case: customary governance