Emma Harden-Wolfson

Higher Education in Central Asia Blog (est. 2011)

  • Bureaucracy 2.0: Red tape redux in Tajikistan

    Bureaucracy 2.0: Red tape redux in Tajikistan

    Bureaucracy lives and thrives in the higher education institutions of Central Asia. It may be more than 25 years since the Soviet Union collapsed but the volokita (red tape i.e. bureaucracy) that the USSR was so well known for remains in many social institutions of the formerly Soviet states. Universities are no exception. Opened to… Read more

  • Does study abroad lead to democracy in former Soviet countries?

    These days, there’s a lot of literature out there – both in the academic and the policy worlds – on studying abroad. You can read about why students choose to go abroad for higher education, how studying abroad changes students, how states compete to recruit the best students from around the world, what this all… Read more

  • Students in charge of universities and other quirks of Kazakh higher education history

    Did you know that Kazakhstan’s first university was opened in Tashkent – in today’s Uzbekistan? Or that the its first Rector (Vice-Chancellor) was a final year student? Or that throughout the Soviet period, there was only ever one university in Kazakhstan’s capital? All these fun (yes, they are fun!) facts and more can be found in a… Read more

  • Emomali

    Emomali

    The President of Tajikistan (his official title is now somewhat longer and less catchy: The Founder of Peace and National Unity, Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon) strikes a great pose and can be found in action all over Tajikistan. I’ve saved you the trouble of traipsing around… Read more

  • A summer of learning: Fieldwork, conferences, and more in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

    It’s been rather quiet on the blog of late. Don’t worry – I haven’t run out of ideas to keep the blog going. On the contrary, I probably now have too many. I also have a LOT of new photos of universities to add to my photo gallery (see the bottom right part of the… Read more

  • ESCAS-CESS 2017 Conference report

    The first joint conference of the European Society for Central Asian Studies (ESCAS) and the Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS) was, it is fair to say, a roaring success. Held at the stunning new purpose-built campus of the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, ESCAS-CESS was the largest international conference of Central Eurasian… Read more