Program on Central Asia

Scholar-Entrepreneur Initiative

The Program on Central Asia promotes research and teaching at Harvard on the history and current affairs of five Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Yurt with cows grazing in the background

Song-Kol Lake, Kyrgyzstan

Isabelle DeSisto A.B./A.M. '20

We support the study of the Central Asian region using tools and insights from various fields of social sciences and humanities. Our activities include research projects, seminar series, curriculum development and course offerings, creation of digital resources for the study of the region, facilitation of research by students and visiting scholars, and cultural events. 

While the program aims at generating and disseminating knowledge and resources on Central Asia spanning different periods of its history, our main focus is on the independence period and current developments. We approach Central Asia as a region that opened up as a result of the dissolution of the USSR. The states, economies, and people of Central Asia are now an integral part of the globalized world, and developments in the region cannot be properly understood without tracing and analyzing different forms of connectivity, influence, and interdependence.

Our Projects

Wind turbins in Kazakhstan prairie

Renewable Energy Transition in Central Asia

RETCA addresses energy security challenges and environmental problems in Central Asia by studying the governance and politics of the region’s green energy transition. 

Caspiana Logo

Caspiana

Caspiana: A Digital Toolbox for Students and Scholars of Central Asia and the South Caucasus is a resource to facilitate research on the regions east and west of the Caspian Sea. 

Apartments with satellite dishes atop and mountains in the background

Regions and China's Belt and Road Initiative

This seminar seeks to foster vibrant, comprehensive, and fruitful discussion on the ongoing transformations in geopolitics and governance triggered by the BRI. 

grassy plains and mountains

Central Asia and Caucasus Seminar

A series of public seminars on topics in the history, culture, and politics of the Central Asia region.

Sign in Uzbekistan that says, “Welcome, American friends!”

American Diplomats in Central Asia

The accounts of American diplomats who worked in the 1990s and first decade of 2000s shed light on this dramatic period of global history and reveal behind-the-scenes workings of international politics.

Related Insights

Group photo of conference presenters

Building a Community of Central Asia Scholars

The Davis Center’s Graduate Student Conference on Central Asia showcases vibrant scholars eager to share and collaborate with others who study the region.

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Rachabalizoda

Terror Attack in Russia Shines Spotlight on ISIS-K Recruiting Among Central Asians

Davis Center associate Vera Mironova, who has spent years studying militants from the ex-USSR, says that Russia’s war mobilization may have turned the concert hall outside Moscow into a relatively easy target.

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The GTL plant in Qashqadaryo, Uzbekistan

Can Fossil Fuel-Dependent Central Asia Reach Climate Goals?

Davis Center visiting scholar Rahat Sabyrbekov explores the region’s climate change challenges, spotlighting original work on decarbonization efforts in the region.

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Related Events

Sign in Uzbekistan that says, "Welcome, American friends!"
Upcoming Event

Amb. Krol (Ret): America Discovers Central Asia - Central Asia Discovers America

George Krol will discuss the development of relations between the United States and the Central Asian republics from 1992 to the present time.

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From the cover of Folz's book, "A History of The Tajiks," a group of people gather around a table.
Past Event

A History of the Tajiks: Iranians of the East

Richard Foltz will present the revised edition of his 2023 book and discuss recent events affecting Tajiks in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, as well as Tajikistan itself.

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1990 Dushanbe Riots
Past Event

Moscow’s Heavy Shadow: The Violent Collapse of the USSR

In his new book "Moscow’s Heavy Shadow" Isaac McKean Scarborough explores Tajikistan's descent into bloody civil war in the early 1990s and argues that armed conflict has accompanied the extended Soviet collapse since the beginning and until today.

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