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hello@steppesisters.org

Opening doors for women who
conduct research in Central Asia

 

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

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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

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

Steppe Sisters & Humboldtians Early Career Conference

The Steppe Sisters Network supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation will hold a conference for early career researchers at the National Center of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan...
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The Steppe Sisters Network supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation will hold a conference for early career researchers at the National Center of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan in Tashkent from September 5-7, 2022. The training workshop is designed to enhance the capacity of women researchers in history, archaeology, ecology and anthropology and create a community of scholars interested in Central and Inner Asian Research. The conference will focus on topics to help early career researchers and students succeed in a wide range of academic fields.

For information see: https://www.steppesisters.org/early-career-conference

 

Lecturer in Modern Russian History at Cardiff University (Deadline 29th March 2022)

The School of History, Archaeology and Religion wishes to appoint a fixed-term full-time lecturer in Russian History. The post is for 12 months to cover a period of externally funded leave. You will possess...
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The School of History, Archaeology and Religion wishes to appoint a fixed-term full-time lecturer in Russian History. The post is for 12 months to cover a period of externally funded leave. You will possess a record or potential for excellence in research in modern Russian History and evidence of high-quality teaching at undergraduate level.

For more information see:

https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/CNS437/lecturer-in-modern-russian-history

 

PAUSE: French Program for the Urgent Aid and Reception of Scientists and Artists in Exile

PAUSE is the French Program for the Urgent Aid and Reception of Scientists and Artists in Exile (Programme National d'Accueil en Urgence des Scientifiques et Artistes en Exile). The next deadline is...
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PAUSE is the French Program for the Urgent Aid and Reception of Scientists and Artists in Exile (Programme National d'Accueil en Urgence des Scientifiques et Artistes en Exile).

The next deadline is April 8, 2022.

https://www.college-de-france.fr/site/en-program-pause/Presentation-of-the-program.htm

 

Research Fellowship "Global Archaeology, Sustainable Archaeology and the Archaeology of Sustainability

Under this topic the German Archaeological Institute offers several short-term fellowships for young scholars. With these fellowships, we also want to specifically support at-risk colleagues from Ukraine...
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Under this topic the German Archaeological Institute offers several short-term fellowships for young scholars. With these fellowships, we also want to specifically support at-risk colleagues from Ukraine to conduct research at one of the DAI sites in Germany or abroad, and we expressly welcome their applications.

Questions related to the field of comparative global archaeology represent a major element of DAI’s research themes. However, “global archaeology” is also interpreted in the sense of how archaeological research is conducted in a globalized world. The connected topic of “sustainable archaeology” encompasses a variety of aspects associated with this theme, such as (and not limited to) community archaeology, public engagement or postcolonial studies. Related to this, the DAI is also interested in “archaeology of sustainability”, i.e., investigating how past cultures sought sustainable solutions or how they reflected upon the sustainability of their actions and practices.

Applications may be submitted no later than 29.04.2022.

For more information: 

https://www.dainst.org/en/-/research-fellowship-global-archaeology-sustainable-archaeology-and-the-archaeology-of-sustainability-deadline-29-04-2022-

 

Webinar ‘Next Generation: Reflections and Future perspectives on Higher Education in the Former Soviet Union’

UNESCO IESALC and the National Research University Higher School of Economics (Moscow, Russia) will hold the International Conference on Higher Education Developments in the former Soviet Space,...
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UNESCO IESALC and the National Research University Higher School of Economics (Moscow, Russia) will hold the International Conference on Higher Education Developments in the former Soviet Space, 30 years since the end of the Soviet Union, on February 14-15, 2022.

For further information see: https://www.iesalc.unesco.org/en/evento/next-generation-reflections-and-future-perspectives-on-higher-education-in-the-former-soviet-union/

 

Call for abstracts: Sustainability and Environmental Challenges in the Caspian Sea (International Journal of Water Resources Development)

The Caspian Sea is the most extensive inland water system globally, situated at the crossroads between Europe and Asia. It resembles marine ecosystems, but it has similar characteristics to lakes with...
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The Caspian Sea is the most extensive inland water system globally, situated at the crossroads between Europe and Asia. It resembles marine ecosystems, but it has similar characteristics to lakes with some salinity which vary as per the location and the regional water balance. Being an endorheic basin, the Caspian Sea is highly susceptible to climatic and hydrological changes from natural and human-induced factors.

The objective of this Special Issue is to identify the major sustainability and environmental challenges and the initiatives and policies to be adopted for sustainable water management of the Caspian Sea in a national and regional context.

We encourage the interested authors to send a concept note to stefanos.xenarios@nu.edu.kz  until 28th February 2022 about their topic of interest before the submission process.

For more information: https://think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issues/sustainability-environmental-challenges-caspian-sea/?utm_source=TFO&utm_medium=cms&utm_campaign=JPG15743#?utm_source=CPB&utm_medium=cms&utm_campaign=JPG15743

 

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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 Kansas, US

Cecilia CONTE

Steppe Sisters Social Media Coordinator

 Archaeologist

Humboldt Universität, Germany

Dilnoza DUTURAEVA

Steppe Sisters Treasurer

Historian

University of York, UK

 

 

Ashleigh HARUDA

Steppe Sisters Membership Chair and Webmaster

Zooarchaeologist

University of Oxford, UK

Kristen HOPPER

Steppe Sisters Chair

Landscape Archaeologist

Durham University, UK

Leslee MICHELSEN

Art Historian and Archaeologist

Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art Culture & Design in Honolulu, Hawaii, US

Aikumis (Aiya) Raissova

Bioanthropologist

Durham University

Dilrabo TOSHEVA

Architectural Historian

Yale 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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