https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1117-9056
Much has been spoken and written about the need to revitalize/diversify the study of Central Asia and the Caucasus in recent years. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, conversations about the need to decentre the study of the region from Russia are intensifying across the region, especially in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan (Marat and Kassymbekova Citation2023).
Although some of these discussions and debates on the coloniality of knowledge production held in person and on social media have found their ways into publications (Dadabayev Citation2022), the structural inequalities faced especially by early-career scholars from the region in getting published continue to persist. While a growing proportion of submissions at Central Asian Survey come from researchers institutionally located in Central Asia and the Caucasus, most submissions from the region are from scholars based in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, North America and Europe. Submissions from researchers from other Central Asian and Caucasian countries remain underrepresented. This is due to the persistent structural inequalities within the region’s higher education and academy. Many locals find themselves lacking institutional support and material security. Moreover, due to the growing state crackdown on academic freedom in the region (Norov Citation2023), local scholars are increasingly confronted with the paradox of hiding their research in situations where they are professionally assessed according to their on- and offline visibility as well as the impact factor of their publications. All this acts to silence and marginalize local perspectives and research and adversely impacts not just locals’ personal and professional life but also the wider public’s access to local scholarship.
At Central Asian Survey, we want to continue to be at the forefront of empowering local scholarship and revitalizing/diversifying the field of Caucasian and Central Asian Studies. We remain committed to working with authors both from and outside the region who wish to evoke a debate about research practices and knowledge production in and on Central Asia and the Caucasus. For that purpose, we have implemented some changes to the journal over the past few months. For the first time in the journal’s history, we have brought early-career scholars from the region and the West into the editorial team to better reflect the changing demographic and communication culture of our scholarly field. Zhanibek Arynov and Philipp Lottholz are taking over the role as Book Review Editors from Russell Zanca. Together, they are teaming up to increase and diversify the pool of book reviewers at Central Asian Survey, and in particular to try to solicit reviews on scholarly debates in and from the region in local languages where possible. Whether at conferences or on social media, they are seeking to actively recruit scholars from both the region and the West as book reviewers. With the rejuvenation of the editorial team, we have also invested greater resources in our digital communication strategy.
The most significant change, however, is the introduction of ‘research notes’ as a new submission type. Our aim is for research notes to be shorter, peer-reviewed pieces designed to evoke a debate about a particular issue, controversy or question that are timely and novel, such as events in the region, emerging theories, topics and methods. They can also serve as an intervention in existing debates concerning professional practices, knowledge production, fieldwork or ethics. Being much shorter in content (a maximum of 4000 words, including abstract, main text, footnotes and references), research notes are an opportunity especially for early-career scholars to showcase their work, replete with the originality of their own perspectives, on issues affecting the region today. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our new Associate Editor for research notes, Jasmin Dall’Agnola, via email or during conferences to learn more about the new submission type.
The current issue features the first research note ever published in Central Asian Survey. Authored by the incoming Associate Editor, Jasmin Dall’Agnola, her research note ‘Let’s talk about researchers’ mental well-being’ should serve as an example of the new format and as a template for future submissions (Dall'Agnola Citation2023).
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References
- Dadabayev, T. 2022. Decolonizing Central Asian International Relations. London: Routledge.
- Dall’Agnola, J. 2023. “Let’s Talk About Researchers’ Mental Well-Being.” Central Asian Survey. Online first. https://doi.org/10.1080/02634937.2023.2273354
- Marat, E., and B. Kassymbekova. 2023. “Reclaiming the Narrative. Decolonising Central Asian Studies for a More Inclusive Understanding.” APSA Comparative Politics Newsletter 33 (1): 9–12. https://www.comparativepoliticsnewsletter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/APSA-CP_May_2023.pdf.
- Norov, R. 2023. “Navigating Academic Repression in Central Asia.” In Researching Central Asia, edited by J. Dall’Agnola and A. Sharshenova. Cham: SpringerBriefs in Political Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39024-1_9.