News archive

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 

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)

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. 

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! Find more HERE.

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

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. 

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

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

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

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 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

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-

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/

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 28^th 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

École des hautes études en sciences sociales has opened 10 postdoctoral positions for a period of one year including 2 positions in the medieval history of the Islamic world (7^th-16^th centuries) and imperial institutions and practices in Muslim Asia.

Deadline: February 2, 2022

Visit website

Visit website

Useful free course for anyone wanting an introduction to using R in archaeology!  

Fall 2021 Short Course: Introduction to R Programming for Historical Archaeologists

About the Exhibition

"The History of Soviet Central Asia in 100 Objects" is an online museum exhibition project that aims to convey histories of Soviet Central Asia through material objects. Inspired by Neil Macgregor's "A History of the World in 100 objects", the exhibition aims to open up the field of Soviet Central Asian studies to the general public, but also enrich the historical narrative of the Soviet past in Central Asia through material objects and their "biographies."

The online exhibition will present 100 material objects, which are presented as a lens to tell stories of a particular period, idea, experience or event. The objects will be arranged chronologically so that they cover the whole Soviet period, highlighting the specificity of each historical and geographic context. Each object will be commented by a historian from the field of Soviet Central Asian studies. The accompanying commentary will draw upon personal, family, regional and all-Soviet histories, in some cases exploring the literary resonances or artistic inspiration for a particular object, whilst also explaining how it was produced, used and preserved.

We aim to bring together complex and polyphonic narratives of the period and its collapse from so far unlikely angles, such as through history of clothing and food. We also welcome objects that reflect history of migration, interconnectedness to other regions, of fluidity of borders and belongings, uncovering multicultural and global dimensions. Beyond such historical and visual analysis, we expect exhibition entries to draw attention to mentions of particular objects in literature, and examine their resonance in contemporary Central Asian culture.

The exhibition’s opening in 2021 will mark the thirtieth anniversary of the demise of the Soviet Union and presents/celebrates diverse historical research of the Soviet period in the region. In addition, our exhibition will feature narratives with “ordinary” people and their experiences of the Soviet period and its collapse, including those who currently live but also who already left Central Asia, highlighting the temporal and biographical geography of the region.

Read more here

4th Congress

28th June - 2nd July 2021

Visit website

Our network is searching for an appropriate logo for use on our website and social media platforms. We are looking for brilliant ideas or fully conceptualized designs.

The winner of our logo contest will receive $50 and acknowledgment on our website.

Our vision: Steppe Sisters is an international network of women who conduct research in Central Asia (specifically CIS countries), Mongolia, and China. We bridge boundaries and encourage cross-cultural exchange of ideas, resources, and support to encourage the professional advancement of women.

Our aims are:

▪️To network, bridging cultural divides
▪️To support early-career women researchers
▪️To promote research by women in the past and present
▪️To advance equality and diversity in human sciences

Send your logo ideas, designs, or thoughts by August 5th, 2021 to Alicia Ventresca Miller at steppesistersnetwork@gmail.com

Pastoral Communities’ Territories of Life in Asia: Tales of Coexistence of Nature and People

Visit website

Employees of all organizations involved in the management of the Central Asian World Heritage sites, as well as interested representatives of authorized state bodies, research organizations, NGOs and civil society, are invited to participate in the Webinars for World Heritage Managers in Central Asia.

This series is designed in cooperation with, and the participation of, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Convention (ICCROM, ICOMOS, IUCN).

The webinars will be held online in English and Russian with simultaneous translation, covering a variety of topics that are relevant to the challenges faced by the region:

📆 2021.07.01 - World Heritage Convention: Basic Principles, Obligations of the States Parties for Conservation, Management and Monitoring Mechanism – World Heritage and Sustainable Development

📆 2021.07.05 - Planning around the World Heritage Properties: Proactive Planning and Impact Assessments

📆 2021.07.08 - Risk and Disaster Preparedness Planning at the World Heritage Properties

Register for the webinars

The End of the Kura-Araxes Culture and the Beginning of the Early Kurgan Period: New Evidence from South-West Georgia

The Caucasus Through Time Network is honoured to welcome Dr. Giorgi Bedianashvili and PhD researcher Gia Chilingarashvili to share their novel archaeological data and insights into the transition between the Kura Araxes Culture and the Early Kurgan Period in South-West Georgia. The settlement of Rabati, situated in Samtshke-Javakheti region, Georgia (1400 m.s.l.), has undergone recent archaeological investigations by the Georgian National Museum and the University of Melbourne (Georgian-Australian Investigations in Archaeology - GAIA). At the multilayer settlement of Irmis Rka, located near the Turkish border in the Meshkheti region, Georgia, excavations have been carried out in 2020 by the Georgian National Museum. Recent work at both sites have revealed Early Bronze Age deposits associated with the Kura-Araxes culture, followed by later deposits from the Bedeni culture. The event will be moderated by Dr. Sarit Paz, Tel Aviv University. 

Register on zoom

Open Access is a relatively new online publishing model where author rather than reader pays. It provides professional publication of your research and then makes it freely available and discoverable online so anyone can benefit from reading and using your work. This has benefits such as improving the reach of your research, enhancing your reputation through increased citations, and improving the quality of research through sharing transparent and reproducible research practices. In many regions, grant funding now requires Open Access publication.

However, as an author, finding the funding to pay for this type of publication is not always easy.

BAR Publishing is celebrating the launch of its Open Access publishing programme with a new Award worth up to a value of £10,000.

Visit the website

Bagram, also known as Begram, has been in the news a lot recently. Over the past couple of days, the last US and NATO troops have withdrawn from Bagram air base, which they have occupied for some 20 years. But this area of Central Asia, situated south of the Hindu Kush mountain range, also has some remarkable ancient history. 

In the area around Bagram lie the remains of ancient Begram (Kapisi). The city witnessed several waves of ancient superpowers. The Persians came here, as did Alexander the Great and his successors. But it was during the age of the Kushan Empire (1st – 4th centuries AD) that it appears the rich, ancient city of Begram enjoyed its golden age.

In this fascinating podcast, University of Freiburg’s Lauren Morris brilliantly guides us through Begram’s ancient history and why this site is so extraordinary. Lauren also tells the remarkable story behind the excavations at Begram during the 1930s and how it could be a big hit Netflix show in its own right.

Part 2, centred on the Begram Hoard, will be released in a few weeks.

Listen to the podcast

I recorded my first podcast on Tides of History. Patrick Wyman and I discuss the lives of herders, how to define pastoralism, and my early career.
Also a shout out to Steppe Sisters in the intro 🙂

Listen to the interview

To acknowledge the vital roles of #rangelands & #pastoralism for human wellbeing & nature conservation and to support the upcoming International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) in 2026, this workshop is scheduled for July 16, 2021.

Register here

A very handy video if you are new to bucket floating for recovery ancient plant remains. Very handy video if you are new to swimming in a lad to extract the remains of ancient plants.

https://youtu.be/jVNEAc-82Kc

The Caucasus Through Time Network is honoured to welcome Dr. Giorgi Bedianashvili and PhD researcher Gia Chilingarashvili to share their novel archaeological data and insights into the transition between the Kura Araxes Culture and the Early Kurgan Period in South-West Georgia. The settlement of Rabati, situated in Samtshke-Javakheti region, Georgia (1400 m.s.l.), has undergone recent archaeological investigations by the Georgian National Museum and the University of Melbourne (Georgian-Australian Investigations in Archaeology - GAIA). At the multilayer settlement of Irmis Rka, located near the Turkish border in the Meshkheti region, Georgia, excavations have been carried out in 2020 by the Georgian National Museum. Recent work at both sites have revealed Early Bronze Age deposits associated with the Kura-Araxes culture, followed by later deposits from the Bedeni culture. The event will be moderated by Dr. Sarit Paz, Tel Aviv University.

Zoom

Following the exciting news that we have received funding from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/.../sponsored...), we are expanding our steering committee. We are therefore looking to you to nominate yourselves or your colleagues for the roles!

The new steering committee members will help us organise and deliver several exciting new initiatives enabled by the Humboldt award. In particular, we are looking for steering committee members to:

-Help plan and organise our upcoming conference in Tashkent

-Run, and produce content for, our social media

-Organise and implement online seminars, reading groups or training workshops

Any member of the Steppe Sisters is eligible, and we are looking to expand the committee with a diverse group of people representing different disciplines, career stages and experiences. We expect that a role on the steering committee would require a commitment of c. 1 hour per week. The benefits include travel to, and accommodation at, our conference in Tashkent, and a useful addition to your CV!

To nominate yourself or someone else, please send us the following information:

-Name and institutional affiliation/role

-A 200 word or less statement telling us how you think you (or your colleague) could help the Steppe Sisters grow!

The deadline for expressions of interest for the steering committee is July 31. Applications will be accepted in both English and Russian. Please send your documents to Dr. Kristen Hopper (k.a.hoper@durham.ac.uk)