What is a community? What does it mean to be a part of a community, especially when that community is not in its homeland? These are the main questions that I have been investigating during my research of the Meskhetian Turks and their experiences in Central Asia. In my first post I provided a short […]
Russia
Crossing the Cairn-Marked Border: Imperial Policy and Diaspora in Buryat Folk Songs
In my previous post, I introduced a Buryat folk song which described events which took place in 1727-1728. These events demonstrate the impact of imperial diplomatic policies and decisions on individuals and communities. In this post, I will provide an historical background for the geopolitical circumstances in which this folk song arose. I will also […]
Tajikistan’s Economic Interdependence on Russia
Framing My Interests I have been fascinated by the topic of migrant labor in Central Asia for a number of years now. Part of my interest is rooted in my own personal experiences in Tajikistan. I lived in Tajikistan from 2015 to 2016 when I was 20 years old. I moved to Tajikistan as a […]
Educational Outcomes for Migrants in Russia: Part II
This post is part two of my exploration into the educational outcomes of migrants and their children. You can find Part One here. I will be looking at this topic in the context of Russia. Are there differences in education attainment and achievement between native and migrant children? If so, what contributes to this? Russia […]
Migration and Education: Part I
In my next few blog posts, I will be exploring the topic of education as it relates to migrants. I aim to answer the questions: do migrants have access to education at the same level as natives? If not, why? I will be attempting to answer these questions in the context of Germany and Russia, […]
Great Retreat: Muslim Migration from the Russian Empire to Turkey
When people think about ethnic minority groups in Turkey, they usually think about the obvious cases—Kurds and Syrians today, Armenians and Greeks in the past. However, the country’s population of 83.4 million encompasses many other smaller groups, including significant groups that came from the Russian Empire during its expansion (World Bank). If one wanted to […]
Reproductive Health Access for Migrant Women
For women who migrate, access to health care, in general, is extremely restrictive. However, reproductive health care has become an even more restrictive resource, especially for women who do not have citizenship or legal status in the country they reside in. Migrant women, compared to men, face increasingly more challenges due to restrictive medical barriers […]
Exile, Diaspora, and Agency in Inner Asian Folk Narratives
Research Questions and Goals Within my upcoming three blog posts, my aim is to present two narratives of exile present in folk oral traditions in Inner Asia. After discussing the Urkun in my previous post, I realized that I had largely forgotten the issue of individual agency within such significant historical circumstances. To rectify this […]
Clinking Glasses Over Central Asia’s Hardship
The 2020 Covid-19 global pandemic has exacerbated social and economic struggles in Central Asia while strengthening Russia and China’s grasp over the region. While stronger relations with Russia and China can help the five governments of Central Asia appear more legitimate, little progress will be gained for the people of Central Asia. Migrant laborers will […]
Making Sense of Meskhetian Turk Migrations
You can’t undo a deportation. Jonathan Shapiro For my last three blog posts, I have decided to look at the history of Meskhetian Turks from their deportation in 1944 to the modern day. In this blog post, I am going to do my best to familiarize the reader with the Meskhetian Turks and how forced […]