The inaugural meeting of the Central Asia Study Group was held 18 February 2009. The Group is intended as an inter-institutional, multi-disciplinary, collaborative group for academics, researchers, students, and others with an interest in Central Asia, and will be hosted by the Aga Khan University, Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilizations, London. The Group will look at a range of issues related to social and cultural transformations in this region.

The Study Group will seek to approach aspects of social and cultural life in Central Asia by exploring mechanisms of peoples’ empowerment in these societies. With this as the general focus, participants will be invited to contribute from their own discipline and research to explore this concept.

The Group will avoid concentrating on areas which are usually the focus of attention, such as security or purely economic or resource related issues. Contributions are welcomed from any level of research and analysis – ranging from local to transnational to global perspectives, and relating to any of the regions within and close to Central Asia, as relevant to discussions on change and empowerment in Central Asia. The Study Group intends to maintain a flexible, inclusive and non-partisan approach and to work in a way that avoids ‘essentialising’ Central Asia as a region.

The Group will meet once a month, with members or invited guests presenting at each meeting. Information about the speaker’s topic will be provided on this blog, with the aim of facilitating discussion and the creation of a body of scholarly information relating to Central Asia within the conceptual framework of empowerment on the internet.

If you would like to participate in the Study Group session, please register your interest with Professor Modjtaba Sadria, coordinator of the Study Group, modjtaba.sadria@aku.edu.