Emma Harden-Wolfson

Higher education in Central Asia blog

  • ICYMI: Tensions in Kazakhstan-China academic relations

    In case you missed it, check out this insightful article published recently in University World News that delves into why bilateral academic relations between Kazakhstan and China appear to be faltering. The article sets out some of the challenges and also offers important ideas for bringing greater mutuality into this important relationship. The author, Gui… Read more

  • Rejected by Russia: Hundreds of Tajik students forced to leave

    The news that over 600 Tajik students were expelled from Russian universities during 2025 seems like the latest spat in the love-hate relationship that seems to define Tajikistan’s links with Russia (can’t live with you, can’t live without you sort of thing). Yet, when the news comes from the Tajik government, it’s clear that there’s… Read more

  • Blistering remarks from the Kazakh Minister of Higher Education

    In a recent interview with University World News, the Kazakh Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek was pulling no punches. This piece offers the clearest insights I’ve seen yet into how he sees the ever-shifting higher education landscape in Kazakhstan – and he doesn’t hold back on the criticism. Kazakhstan has been bringing… Read more

  • Raising the roof on students’ cost of living in Uzbekistan

    The cost of living crisis is the number one concern for Gen Zs and millennials who make up most of today’s students. Rising costs and inflation around the world are leading to alarming levels of housing and food insecurity and anxiety among students. The briefest of searches provides examples from Canada, Japan, Nigeria, Northern Ireland,… Read more

  • How Kazakhstan’s Gen Z is responding to a changing world

    What do you get if you combine an uptick in the scale and frequency of intractable global issues, care for student agency, expertise in Central Asia, and an interest in exploring visual research methods? The answer – fortunately – is not a joke! Even better, it’s a new article by me and Dr Dana Abdrasheva… Read more

  • Academics under threat in Central Asia

    It’s a leaf straight out of the authoritarian playbook. You don’t like what someone has to say? There’s a risk that they might speak out against the government or its practices? Suppress them. You have a number of options here. Fire them. Threaten their family. Arrest them on spurious charges. Throw them in jail. Remove… Read more