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hello@steppesisters.org

Opening doors for women who
conduct research in Central Asia

 

2023 Small Grant Winners

Supporting human science researchers investigating humans and their environment both today and in the past

Welcome to Steppe Sisters

Steppe Sisters (founded 2017) is an international networking group dedicated to connecting women and underrepresented groups in academia, who conduct research in Central Asia (specifically CIS countries) and neighboring regions. We bridge boundaries and encourage cross-cultural exchange of ideas, resources, and support to encourage the professional advancement of women researchers.

Our remit is focused upon human science researchers, specifically, those who work in fields which investigate humans and their environment both today and in the past. This includes the disciplines of history, archaeology, anthropology, palaeoecology, archaeogenetics, and other related fields of human sciences. However, researchers from all other disciplines are also welcome. 

Steppe Sisters Network is currently supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation with a Humboldt Alumni Award for Innovative Networking Initiatives, 2021-2024.

 

News and information

Summer 2024 Newsletter

We have just released our latest newsletter with all the latest details from our small grant winners, upcoming conference sessions, and details about our expanding community. 

Small Grant Competition Winners

Our first small grant program launched last summer to support our members in their professional journey with money for travel, research and publication expenses. You may have met them at our online Annual...
Read more

Our first small grant program launched last summer to support our members in their professional journey with money for travel, research and publication expenses. You may have met them at our online Annual General Meeting, when they had a chance to introduce themselves and their projects. You can now click through to meet them here, and we will be sharing more with you about their work in the coming months. 

Symposium & Book Launch

SYMPOSIUM  Mapping the Past: History and Culture of Central Asia & BOOK LAUNCH European-Chinese Imperial Maps and Gazetteers Related to the Kazakh Khanate and Its Adjacent Regions from the...
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SYMPOSIUM 

Mapping the Past: History and Culture of Central Asia

&

BOOK LAUNCH

European-Chinese Imperial Maps and Gazetteers Related to the Kazakh Khanate and Its Adjacent Regions from the 16th to the 19th Centuries

 

Time: Friday, 29th September 2023, 10:00-15:00 (BST)

Venue: British Library, 96 Euston Road, London  

Dilnoza Duturaeva, a steering committee member of Steppe Sisters, is set to host a one-day symposium and book launch in celebration of the release of Nurlan Kenzheakhmet's latest work titled European-Chinese Imperial Maps and Gazetteers Related to the Kazakh Khanate and Its Adjacent Regions from the 16th to the 19th Centuries (Ostasien Verlag, 2023). This event will also include a presentation about the Steppe Sisters Network by Ashleigh Haruda, Kristen Hopper, and Aiya Raissova.

 

RSVP to register for webinar: https://forms.gle/nKuasDf63xJVPAMd9

 

Confirmed Speakers:

Ashleigh Haruda (University of Oxford)

Kristen Hopper (Durham University)

Gai Jorayev (UCL)

Richard McClary (University of York)

Alexander Morrison (University of Oxford)

Aiya Raissova (Durham University)

Rebecca Roberts (University of Cambridge)

 

Organisers:

Dilnoza Duturaeva | University of York

Nurlan Kenzheakhmet | Eurasian Research Institute, Akhmet Yassawi University

 

Organisations:

University of York

Eurasian Research Institute, Akhmet Yassawi University

Steppe Sisters Network

 

Programme

10:00 – Opening Remarks

 

Panel 1: Archaeology and Art | Chair: Kristen Hopper (Durham University) 

 

10:15 to 10:45 – Rebecca Roberts (University of Cambridge) & Gai Jorayev (UCL)

Maps, Metadata, Margins and Machines: Historic Maps as an Archaeological Resource  

 

10:45 to 11:15 – Richard McClary (University of York) 

Mapping Changes and Dispersal Over Time: Two Shah-i Zinda 

Tombs and their Lajvardina Tiles

 

11:15 – 11:30 Coffee Break

 

Panel 2: History | Chair: Ashleigh Haruda (University of Oxford) 

 

11:30 to 12:00 – Dilnoza Duturaeva (University of York)

Mapping the Qarakhanids: A Song Dynasty Map of Central Asia

 

12:00 to 12:30 – Alexander Morrison (University of Oxford)

Russian Colonialism and the Qazaq Steppe, 1731 – 1916

 

Panel 3: Network | Chair: Dilnoza Duturaeva (University of York)

 

12:30 to 1:00 – Ashleigh Haruda (University of Oxford), Kristen Hopper (Durham University) & Aiya Raissova (Durham University)

Mapping Women Working on the Past & Present of Central Asia: Steppe Sisters Network   

 

1:00 – 2:00 Lunch

 

2:00 to 3:00 – Book Presentation by Nurlan Kenzheakhmet (Eurasian Research Institute, Akhmet Yassawi University) 

European-Chinese Imperial Maps and Gazetteers Related to the Kazakh Khanate and Its Adjacent Regions from the 16th to the 19th Centuries (Ostasien Verlag, 2023)

Steppe Sisters Newsletter - Summer 2023

Read the latest from the Steppe Sisters- including announcements about our upcoming Annual General Meeting, news from the field, and more! Click here to download if you aren't subscribed to our email list. 
Read more

Read the latest from the Steppe Sisters- including announcements about our upcoming Annual General Meeting, news from the field, and more! Click here to download if you aren't subscribed to our email list. 

Blog post/Video competition

We are pleased to announce the launch of the first Steppe Sisters blog post/video contest! This year, we would like applicants to answer the question: In what ways can we reconceptualize the Silk Roads...
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We are pleased to announce the launch of the first Steppe Sisters blog post/video contest! This year, we would like applicants to answer the question: In what ways can we reconceptualize the Silk Roads as more than just a means of trade, but as a social and cultural phenomenon with a lasting legacy? In a video or a blog post, tell us what the Silk Roads means to you and why it matters today! 

UPDATE! Steppe Sisters Small Grants Program 2023

We are pleased to announce that we are accepting applications for our new small grant program! As part of our Humboldt grant, we are having a round of small grants for our members that can be used for...
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We are pleased to announce that we are accepting applications for our new small grant program! As part of our Humboldt grant, we are having a round of small grants for our members that can be used for direct research expenses (radiocarbon dating, fieldwork), open access fees for publications in open access journals, and conference attendance or support for continuing education.
 
Applications are accepted from June 15-July 30.
 
****UPDATE: After feedback from a number of people, we have decided to institute a rolling decision policy! This means that applicants will hear the outcomes of their submissions much earlier, and will enable them to plan for the current field season and access travel for the new academic year. It will work like this:
Applications received from June 15 - July 1 will be evaluated and decisions sent out by July 15.
Applications received from July 1 - July 15 will be evaluated and decisions sent out by July 30
Applications received from July 15- July 30 will be evaluated and decisions sent out by August 15
 
If you receive a grant, you will need to spend it by June 2024. Our restrictions? You must be a Steppe Sister, and be happy for us to share your photo, name and project here on our website and across social media. You can apply and read more about the program here.

Steppe Sisters Annual Meeting & Lecture

The Steppe Sisters Network, in collaboration with York Asia Research Network (YARN), is organising its 2nd Annual Meeting at the University of York on 21st October 2023, from 2pm to 6pm. This event,...
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The Steppe Sisters Network, in collaboration with York Asia Research Network (YARN), is organising its 2nd Annual Meeting at the University of York on 21st October 2023, from 2pm to 6pm. This event, which will be conducted both in-person and online, is open to postgraduates and early career researchers who are interested in Central Asian research. Participants are invited to join us and help establish a community of scholars in this field.

For more information:

https://www.steppesisters.org/index.php?page=steppe-sisters-annual-meeting

 

Steppe Sisters Newsletter - Winter 2023

Read the latest news from the Steppe Sisters group, including information about our conference in Tashkent, new online library, and grant database! Click here to read the Winter 2023 newsletter, or enter...
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Read the latest news from the Steppe Sisters group, including information about our conference in Tashkent, new online library, and grant database! Click here to read the Winter 2023 newsletter, or enter your email in our "Contact Us" box to subscribe to our mailing list to receive this directly to your inbox. 

 

ArchéOrient - Le Blog about the Steppe Sisters Network

Cecilia Conte and Kristen Hopper wrote a blog post about the Steppe Sisters Network. 

Check it out here: https://archeorient.hypotheses.org/22109

 

Steppe Sisters & Humboldtians Early Career Conference Programme 

The Steppe Sisters Steering Committee is working hard to prepare for the Steppe Sisters & Humboldtians Early Career Conference, which will take place in Tashkent from September 5-7, 2022. We are so...
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The Steppe Sisters Steering Committee is working hard to prepare for the Steppe Sisters & Humboldtians Early Career Conference, which will take place in Tashkent from September 5-7, 2022.
We are so happy to be welcoming 37 participants from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, France, the UK, Denmark, Switzerland, and the US -  50 scholars in total! We were able to provide travel grants to participants from Central Asia thanks to the financial support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. If you are curious, check out our program which includes a broad range of workshops and topics - from ethics & grant applications to museums & isotopes.
 

Steppe Sisters New Publication by Elissa Bullion

This article by Steppe Sister Elissa Bullion and her colleagues discusses the discovery and excavation of an early Islamic cemetery in the highlands of Central Asia at the site of Tashbulak, in modern-day...
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This article by Steppe Sister Elissa Bullion and her colleagues discusses the discovery and excavation of an early Islamic cemetery in the highlands of Central Asia at the site of Tashbulak, in modern-day Uzbekistan. The Tashbulak cemetery demonstrates the presence of an early Islamic community in a rural region, challenging narratives that Islam was slowly adopted in these areas as it diffused from urban centers. 

Find the article here (open access):

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/community-practice-and-religion-at-an-early-islamic-cemetery-in-highland-central-asia/4C292A5614CFA03DF5059B1798B70990

 

Steppe Sisters New Publications

Duturaeva, Dilnoza. Qarakhanid Roads to China: A History of Sino-Turkic Relations. Leiden: Brill, 2022. Qarakhanid Roads to China reconsiders the diplomacy, trade and geography of transcontinental networks...
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Duturaeva, Dilnoza. Qarakhanid Roads to China: A History of Sino-Turkic Relations. Leiden: Brill, 2022.

Qarakhanid Roads to China reconsiders the diplomacy, trade and geography of transcontinental networks between Central Asia and China from the 10th to the 12th centuries and challenges the concept of “the Silk Road crisis” in the period between the fall of the Tang Dynasty and the rise of the Mongols. Utilizing a broad range of Islamic and Chinese primary sources together with archaeological data, Dilnoza Duturaeva demonstrates the complexity of interaction along the Silk Roads and beyond that, revolutionizes our understanding of the Qarakhanid world and Song-era China’s relations with neighboring regions. 

The e-book version of this publication is available in Open Access: https://brill.com/view/title/61452

Show more news

Who we are

Membership to our closed forums and discussion groups is limited to Steppe Sisters members only to provide opportunities for women*. Men who wish to support Steppe Sisters will be allowed to join as friends of the group to access our mailing list, website, and Twitter, and can contribute through offering training opportunities. Members of the public can interact with the group through our public Twitter profile and the webpage. Discussion is encouraged in the language of your choice. You can access our constitution here. 

 

*Women encompasses all women, as based on gender identity or/and biological sex, and underrepresented groups, as well as those discriminated against based on their gender identity

Our aims are:

  • To network to bridge cultural divides
  • To support early-career women researchers
  • To promote research by women in the past and present
  • To advance equality, diversity and inclusion in academia 

We support women-led professional academic development through:

  • Providing online discussion forums for networking and communication
  • Online and in-person training sessions, lectures and seminars
  • Mentorships that link senior and early career scholars with students
  • Small-Grant Programmes for early career researchers (supported by funding organizations)

Steering committee 

Our steering committee leads and directs Steppe Sisters and is responsible for organising conferences, online events and acting as admins in our online community spaces.

Elissa BULLION

 

Steppe Sisters Newsletter Editor

Bioarchaeologist

US Natural Resources Conservation Service and University of Pittsburgh, US

Katie CAMPBELL

Archaeologist

University of Cambridge, UK

Mariana CASTRO

Archaeologist

Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University

Ainash CHILDEBAYEVA

Bioanthropologist

University of Texas at Austin, US

Cecilia CONTE

Steppe Sisters Social Media Coordinator

 Archaeologist

Humboldt Universität, Germany

Dilnoza DUTURAEVA

Steppe Sisters Treasurer

Historian

University of York, UK

 

 

Ashleigh HARUDA

Zooarchaeologist

University of Oxford, UK

Kristen HOPPER

Steppe Sisters Chair

Landscape Archaeologist

Durham University, UK

Aikumis (Aiya) RAISSOVA

Bioanthropologist

Durham University

Dilrabo TOSHEVA

Architectural Historian

Harvard University, USA

Alicia VENTRESCA MILLER

Steppe Sisters Secretary 

Bioarchaeologist

University of Michigan, US

How to join

If you are interested in joining Steppe Sisters please fill in the contact form below or contact us on one of our social media channels. 

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