ENC Analysis – Academic Life in Central Asia during Covid-19: Challenges and Opportunities for Collaborations

ENC Analysis

Academic Life in Central Asia during Covid-19: Challenges and Opportunities for Collaborations

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis on “Academic Life in Central Asia during Covid-19: Challenges and Opportunities for Collaborations”.

This article is co-authored by Dr. Chiara Pierobon (DAAD Visiting Professor at the University of Washington and ENC Academic Council Member), Dr. Aliia Maralbaeva (Associate Professor of Law and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow of the Volkswagen Foundation at the Ala-Too International University), Dr. Aijan Sharshenova (Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek and ENC Academic Council Member) and Dr. Zarina Adambussinova (social anthropologist and a postdoctoral fellow of the Volkswagen Foundation at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek).

In this ENC Analysis, the authors examine new types of online academic collaborations that have emerged in Central Asia during the Covid-19 pandemic, by focusing on three empirical cases from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: 1) an informational platform for local medical doctors and workers in Kazakhstan called MedSupportKZ initiative; 2) the GYLYM FACES project for Kazakhstani journalists and scientists working in the country as well as abroad; and 3) an informal platform for Central Asians and Central Asianists known as ‘Central Asian Academic and Analytical Writing Support Community’ on Facebook and Telegram.

The full analysis is available here.