Social Science Research Council

In summer 2003, the Eurasia Program began a three-year Educational Partnerships Program to address the teaching of Islam, Islamic Studies, and Comparative Religions at the Islamic University of Kyrgyzstan, in collaboration with a number of U.S. partner universities, including Harvard University, Indiana University, the University of Washington in Seattle, and Stanford University. To varying degrees, the program emphasizes regional and international networking, curriculum and course development, the development of pedagogy and teaching methods, and the sharing of teaching and research interests.

During the first project year, the SSRC worked closely with administrators and faculty members at the Islamic University to learn about the university’s strengths and needs and to select a number of individual faculty members for upcoming exchange programs with U.S. partner universities.

In year two of the project, four faculty members (Gulmira Karabalaeva, Asan Saipov, Nurlanbek Masylbaev, and Ravshanbek Akimbai) from the Islamic University of Kyrgyzstan traveled to the United States for semester-long programs at Harvard University’s Program on Central Asia and the Caucasus and Indiana University’s Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center. While at their host universities, the four Kyrgyz scholars attended courses, made use of campus libraries and resources, and interacted with their American colleagues. They also engaged in a number of cultural activities, interacted with local Muslim communities, and attended a number of conferences, including annual conventions of the Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS), the Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN), the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), and a conference on “Islam, Asia, Modernity” at the University of Washington.

During the final project year, the four returning Kyrgyz scholars and their colleagues at the Islamic University incorporated new materials and approaches into their courses, organizing a number of workshops and seminars, developing texts and materials for publication, and preparing for a conference on the Islamic Learning in Central Asia held in summer 2006. In addition to Kyrgyz scholars traveling to the United States, a number of American scholars traveled to and will travel to Kyrgyzstan for further collaboration and presentations in seminars, panels, and related events.

Funding and support for the Educational Partnerships Program has been provided by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the SSRC has worked closely with the U.S. Embassy’s Office of Public Affairs in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.