IREX recently participated in the 17th Annual Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN) Convention [4], hosted by the Harriman Institute [5] at Columbia University in New York City. ASN is the only scholarly association devoted to the study of ethnicity and nationalism in the regions of Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Each year, ASN brings together scholars, policy analysts, regional specialists, and NGO professionals from all over the world to engage in discussion of regional issues. This year, 618 panelists participated from 42 different countries, presenting 425 papers and screening 13 documentaries.
This year 25 IREX alumni presented their research and served as chairs for panel discussions on a range of topics from national identities and political values in Ukraine [6] to armed resistance in Romania [7] to state-building in Georgia [8] to Islam in Crimea [9] to language and identity in Moldova [10].
Panel sessions focused on a wide range of topics such as “Nation Building and Symbols in the West Balkan States,” “Roma Nation-Building and Advocacy within the European Union,” “The Headscarf Debates: Gender, Conflict, and Nationalism,” and “Diaspora Labor Migration.” Discussions highlighted the importance of understanding the historical and contemporary issues of the region by promoting field research, which provides current and fresh reporting from first-hand perspectives.
IREX's research support programs [11] for U.S. scholars in Eastern Europe and Eurasia are supported through the Department of State’s Title VIII program. These innovative and flexible programs have a direct impact on the formation of U.S. public policy through the support of policy-relevant, “open-source” research on current regional issues of importance to the United States. IREX U.S. Scholar Alumni continue to contribute to a deeper understanding of the region and the development of a more secure world.
Congratulations to all the IREX alumni who presented at the ASN Convention!