Fellows Research

This project investigates the role of Soviet Central Asians in the Afghan war (1979-1989) and the effect that the war had on the region. Thousands of Tajiks and Uzbeks, and others from the region, served in Afghanistan as soldiers, translators, and advisers. Drawing on memoirs, local press, archival materials, and extensive interviews collected with the help of this Title VIII grant, I examine the experiences of some of these individuals.

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Soviet Central Asia and the Afghan War (199 KB pdf)

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The purpose of this research is to assess the impact of introduced health care reforms/programs on the population’s health and health services utilization throughout the years of Kazakhstan’s independence. The focus is on primary health care and reforms/programs related to maternal and child health as well as the establishment of small family practices. Although the analysis demonstrated a considerable improvement in population health during the last thirteen years, not all populations benefited from the improvements equally.

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Kazakhstan's Primary Health Care: Where do the Reforms Lead Us? (252 KB pdf)

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This study purports to understand the success and failure of international democratization. It treats democracy promotion as a form of international influence carried out through the medium of communication, and draws attention to the growing ideological complexity of international life manifested in competing visions on the proper forms of governance and strategies for democratization. This research identified competing “models” of democracy promoted by the West and Central Asian states.

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Western and Central Asian Perspectives on Democracy and Democratization (244 KB pdf)

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My research focused on legal, political and sociological controversies regarding the implementation of Law 221/2009 concerning Politically Motivated Court Sentences and Their Related Administrative Measures during the period 6 March 1945 – 22 December 1989 that was passed by the Romanian legislature in 2009.

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Issues of Restitution in Post-Communist Romania (224 KB pdf)

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This exploratory research trip was intended to familiarize myself with and gather insights on the factors that explain the nature of interethnic perceptions in the Republic of Georgia. I conducted interviews in Tbilisi with both local experts and ordinary people to ascertain Georgian perceptions of the place of ethnic minorities in Georgian society, and worked with a local research organization to design a laboratory experiment that allows me to test several propositions about the salience of ethnic identity. I intend to carry out this research in summer 2012.

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National Narratives and Ethnic Relations in Georgia (260 KB pdf)

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This research explored the work of historians, history teachers, and NGO employees engaged in regional initiatives to mitigate the influence of enduring ethnocentric national histories in the Balkans.

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Rewriting the Balkans: Memory, Historiography, and the Making of a European Citizenry (283 KB pdf)

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The purpose of this project was to assess Moldovan compliance with European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judgments, and the influence that these judgments have on legal reform and judicial capacity-building. This research examined two fundamental questions: Firstly, what types of violations and cases have been brought against Moldova? Secondly, does the government fulfill its obligations to the Court and implement its judgments.

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The Effect of the European Court of Human Rights on Legal Reform in Moldova ( 128 KB pdf)

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This research examines language use in Linguistic Landscapes in a medium size city in post-Soviet southeastern Ukraine. Linguistic Landscapes represent various media, shop signs, advertisement posters, billboards, official and private notices, etc. They reflect the dynamics of political, economic and social transformations, and demonstrate a complex negotiation of competing and coexisting local, national and global discourses and ideologies.

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Multilingualism and Language Policy in Post-Soviet Ukraine: English, Ukrainian and Russian in Linguistic Landscapes (253 KB pdf)

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In the fall of 2011, the three major universities in Osh – Osh State University, Osh Technical University, and the former Kyrgyz-Uzbek University, unofficially renamed Osh State Social University – are deeply embedded in national and regional political and educational contexts.

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Higher Education in Osh- A Descriptive Analysis of Current Conditions (315 KB pdf)

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The June 2010 conflict in Southern Kyrgyzstan deeply affected the city of Osh. The conflict has been interpreted as an ethnic one between Uzbek and Kyrgyz communities, dividing the city along ethnic lines and shaping the way residents respond to international aid and development efforts intended to help them.

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Post-Conflict Narratives and Attitudes Towards the West in Southern Kyrgyzstan (300 KB pdf)

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