Asiac yearly conference programme 2023

XVII ASIAC Annual Conference

Rome, 14-15-16 December 2023

Sapienza University of Rome
Department of Political Sciences
Piazzale Aldo Moro no.5 – 00185 Rome

In collaboration with:

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14 December 2023

8.30 – 9.00
Registration
Graduation Room, Political Science Department, Sapienza University

9.00 – 9.30
Openings and welcoming addresses
Room: Graduation Room, Political Sciences Department, Sapienza University

Aldo FERRARI, ASIAC
Antonello BIAGINI, Sapienza University
Maria Cristina MARCHETTI, Sapienza University
Adriano ROSSI, ISMEO – The International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies
Luca MICHELETTA, Sapienza University
Michelguglielmo TORRI, Asia Maior

9.30 -11.00
Knowledge, power, society and the environment in Central Asia’s Soviet and Post-Soviet Irrigated Agriculture
Special Section “Humans and the Environment”
Chair: Riccardo M. CUCCIOLLA, University of Naples “L’Orientale”
Room: Graduation Room, Political Sciences Department, Sapienza University

The Cotton Disease. The White Gold Monoculture in Soviet Uzbekistan and its Implications
Riccardo M. CUCCIOLLA, University of Naples “L’Orientale”

Slow Violence and Silent Dissent After State Withdrawal and War: Soil Salinisation and the Agrarian Order in Southwest Tajikistan
Irna HOFMAN, University of Oxford

Gallows Humour for a Dwindling Sea: The Cotton-Water Nexus in Tajik Graphic Satire (1960s-1991)
Flora ROBERTS, Utrecht University

Shifting Knowledge Practices about Soil Salinization in Southern Kazakhstan
Tommaso TREVISANI, University of Naples “L’Orientale”

11.20 – 13.00
Humans and the Environment in contemporary Central Asia
Special Section “Humans and the Environment” (II)
Chair: Stefano RAVAGNAN, OACC
Room: Graduation Room, Political Sciences Department, Sapienza University

Kazakhstan’s Modern Nuclear and Environmental Considerations
Nicole ANSELMO, University of Oxford

The Environmental Approach in Uzbekistan, with Particular Regard to Italian Cooperation
Alessandro CARILE, University of Trieste

Pastoralism in Contemporary Kazakhstan: Property Relations and Inequality
Roger CREUS VILA, University of Oxford

The Priorities of Sustainable Development of al-Farabi KAZNU: Green University, Green Office, Green Campus
Galiya IBRAYEVA, al Farabi Kazakh National University

Implementing Sustainable Development Policies in Developing Countries: From One-Size-Fits-All Approaches to SDGS in Central Asia
Serik ORAZGALIYEV, Nazarbayev University

13.00 – 14.30
Lunch break

14.30 -16.00 (A)
Names and Stories
Chair: Lorenzo PUBBLICI, University of Naples “L’Orientale”
Room: Hall no.8, Political Sciences Department, Sapienza University

The Names of the Jews and Jewish Names in Georgia
Tamari LOMTADZE, Tbilisi State University
Tsira JANJGAVA, Tbilisi State University
Manana MIKADZE, Akaki Tsereteli State University

Soslan and the Balsæg’s wheel
Paolo OGNIBENE, University of Bologna

Changing Environmentalism and Social Critique in the Works of Chingiz Aitmatov
Paul WOODS, Asia Graduate School of Theology – Alliance

14.30 -16.00 (B)
Conflict, crises and wars
Chair: Dina SHARIPOVA, Nazarbayev University, Astana
Room: Study room no.2, Political Sciences Department, Sapienza University

The implications of the war in Ukraine in the Caucasus region: towards a new balance of power
Giorgio CELLA, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart Milan

Azerbaijan Amid the Ukrainian Crisis: Perceptions, Implications and Expectations
Fidan NAMAZOVA, ADA University, Baku

Human Rights situation in Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous region
Steve SWERDLOW, University of Southern California

An alternative view on Kazakhstan’s modern history
Fabrizio VIELMINI, Webster University

16.00 – 16.30
Coffee break

16.30 – 18.00 (A)
Diasporas
Chair: Aldo Ferrari, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Room: Hall no.8, Political Sciences Department, Sapienza University

How Many and Where? Data and Avenues of Research on the Caucasian Diaspora in Late Ottoman and Early Republican Turkey
Fabio L. GRASSI, Sapienza University of Rome

We Are Not Diaspora: Identity Negotiation Among Uzbeks in Sairam District
Intizor M. SAIDIKARIMOVA, Nazarbayev University

16.30 – 18.00 (B)
China in Central Asia

Chair: Jasmin Dall’Agnola, George Washington University
Room: Study room no.2, Political Sciences Department, Sapienza University

The Interplay of Russian and Chinese (Self)Perceptions in Kyrgyzstan
Sara BERLOTO, University of Milan
Nicolò FASOLA, University of Bologna

A Self-interested Economic Provider? Research on Central Asia in the People’s Republic of China
Frank MARACCHIONE, University of Sheffield
Bradley JARDINE, Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs and Wilson Center

China’s multiple multilateral initiatives in Central Asia – a critical assessment
Elżbieta M. PROŃ, University of Silesia in Katowice

Environmental Risks in the Implementation of Belt and Road Initiative: Case of Kazakh-Chinese Joint Manufacturing Enterprises
Azhar SERIKKALIYEVA, Almaty Management University

Health Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics: Tracing Discourses on Cooperation with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan during COVID-19
Giulia SCIORATI, London School of Economics and Political Science

18.00 – 19.00
ASIAC General Assembly (in Italian)

15 December 2023

9.30 – 11.00
Baku’s Evolving Place in Azerbaijani Social Life: Urbanity, Wealth, and Societal Identities Since World War Two
Chair: Tsypylma Darieva, Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS) Berlin
Room: Study room no.2, Political Sciences Department, Sapienza University

Transforming Landscapes: The Azerbaijani Middle Class and the Politics of Change
Cristina BOBOC, Ghent University

Finding a Place in Post-War Baku: Social and Cultural Challenges of Integration for Baku’s Migrants from the Village in the 1940s to early 1950s
Heather D. DEHAAN, Binghamton University

Leaving Home for a Better Future: The Environment and Rural-Urban Migration in Azerbaijan (late 1940s-1950s)
Shalala MAMMADOVA, Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University

Making Black City White: Oil, Wealth, and Spatial Inequalities in Baku, Azerbaijan
Leyla SAYFUTDINOVA, University of St. Andrews

11.30 – 13.00
Studying China in Central Asia – roundtable
Chairs: Frank Maracchione, University of Sheffield; Giulia Sciorati, London School of Economics and Political Science
Room: Study room no.2, Political Sciences Department, Sapienza University

Participants:
Jasmin DALL’AGNOLA, George Washington University
Irna HOFMAN, University of Oxford
Frank MARACCHIONE, University of Sheffield
Elżbieta M. PROŃ, University of Silesia in Katowice
Giulia SCIORATI, London School of Economics and Political Science
Eva SEIWERT, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
David TOBIN, University of Sheffield
Azhar SERIKKALIYEVA, Almaty Management University

13.00 – 14.30
Lunch break

14.30 – 16.00
Addressing the formal-informal dichotomy in the study of Central Asia: between access to resources and distribution networks
Chair: Madina Gazieva, Dublin City University
Room: Study room no.2, Political Sciences Department, Sapienza University

The Role of Labor Intermediaries in the Migration Corridor from Central Asia to the EU
Giulio BENEDETTI, Stockholm School of Economics and Maastricht University

The Role of the Socio-Cultural Context in Shaping Female Entrepreneurship: Insights from Kyrgyzstan
Alberica CAMERANI, Dublin City University

‘They Self-Provision for Subsistence’ – Livelihoods and Water Access Dynamics among Smallholders in Rural Uzbekistan
Madina GAZIEVA, Dublin City University

One Can Always Find a Job’. Understanding Unemployment in Central Asia: An Analysis of Labour Market Policies in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
Eugenia PESCI, University of Helsinki

Navigating the Bazaar: Women’s Experiences of Informal Work in Uzbekistan
Binazir YUSUPOVA, Dublin City University

16.30 – 17.30
The Black Sea area: Identities and Security in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine
Chairs: Andrea CARTENY, Sapienza University
Room: Study room no.2, Political Sciences Department, Sapienza University

Participants:
Carlo FRAPPI, Ca’ Foscari University
Giuseppe MOTTA, Sapienza University
Gabriele NATALIZIA, Sapienza University
Nicolò RASCAGLIA, Sapienza University
Alessandra RUSSO, University of Trento

17.30 – 18.00
Pan-Nationalism in Eurasia: The Myth of Turan – Book Presentation
Chairs: Fabio L. GRASSI, Sapienza University
Room: Study room no.2, Political Sciences Department, Sapienza University

Participants:
Davor ANTONUCCI, Sapienza University
Fulvio BERTUCCELLI, Sapienza University
Paolo PIZZOLO, Sapienza University

16 December 2023

9.15 – 11.00 (A)
Conflict and Security in the South Caucasus
Chair: Carlo Frappi, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Room: Hall C, Political Sciences Department, Sapienza University

Escaping an Ideology and Resisting its Affective Discipling: The Case of the No-War Movements in Azerbaijan
Cesare FIGARI BARBERIS, Graduate Institute of Geneva

Railroad to Peace? Implications of Opening the Yeraskh-Julfa-Meghri-Horadiz Railine between Armenia and Azerbaijan
Mahammad MAMMADOV, Topchubashov Center, Baku

Caucasus and the first Karabakh conflict in Giulio Andreotti’s archives
Daniel POMMIER VINCELLI, Sapienza University of Rome

Managing Security in the Caucasus: Repercussions and Motives of Regional and Global Players in the Karabakh Conflict
Simona SCOTTI, Independent Researcher

Ontological Security, Collective Memory, and Narratives: Rethinking Russian–Armenian Relations throughout the Nagorno–Karabakh Conflict
Leonardo ZANATTA, Corvinus University of Budapest

9.15 – 11.00 (B)
Economic diversification
Chair: Frank Maracchione, University of Sheffield
Room: Hall D, Political Sciences Department, Sapienza University

Connectivity between Landlocked Central Asian States to Land Linked Pakistan through Chinese Led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
Javaid FAISAL, Federal Urdu University
Michael SPIES, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, and Muhammad
F. SYED, Federal Urdu University

External resources, professionalization and accountability: Exploring self-regulatory practices in Georgian civil society
Najmin KAMILSOY, Charles University

The State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) in the Post-Oil Era: Will the “Wallet” Survive?
Teymur KHALAFOV, University of Glasgow

Structural Transformation through a Multi-Vector Geo-Economic Governance? BRI and Upgrading(s) of the Uzbek Gas Industry
Lorena LOMBARDOZZI, The Open University

Achieving Sustainable Development Goals within the Eurasian region
Aleksandra KHRAMOVA, Eurasian Economic Commission

11.00 – 11.20
Coffee break

11.20 – 13.00 (A)
Memory, Modernity and Historical Legacy
Chair: Velizar Sadovski, Austrian Academy of Sciences
Room: Hall C, Political Sciences Department, Sapienza University

Central Asian progressive thinker of the end of the 19th century: analysis of Ahmad Donish’s intellectual legacy
Kamila AKHMEDJANOVA, University of Oxford

Brothers beyond the Curtain: Representations of “Captive” Turkic Peoples in Right-Wing Press during the Cold War
Fulvio BERTUCCELLI, Sapienza University and University of Bologna

The Legacies of Environmental Colonialism in Post-Soviet Central Asian Culture
Tamar KOPLATADZE, University of Oxford

Memory Activism and the KGB Archive Documents: Crafting Gulag Truths in Tbilisi, Georgia
Laura MAFIZZOLI, University of Manchester

11.20 – 13.00 (B)
Space and socio-political dynamics [hybrid]
Chair: Alessandra Russo, University of Trento
Room: Hall D, Political Sciences Department, Sapienza University

Urban By Default? Exploring Almaty & Astana’s Development as Cases of Kazakhstan’s Political Development”
Arina DMITRENKO, University of Toronto

The Power of Water: Exploring Infrastructural Projects and Socio-Political Dynamics in Central Asia
Eugenia FABBRI, University of Bologna

Urban Space in Contemporary Armenia: Between Private, Public, and No One’s
Maria GUNKO, University of Oxford
Sarhat PETROSYAN, urbanlab

Crowded and aggrieved: Housing crisis, acculturation gap and psychological distress between two generations in Kazakhstan
Moldir KABYLOVA, University of Nottingham

Understanding Women’s Movements in Armenia (1991-2022)
Olga AZATYAN, Yerevan State University

Special session

N.B. This special session takes place at the the National Central Library of Rome, located in Viale Castro Pretorio no.105 (at the Metro B “Castro Pretorio” stop, and walking distance from Sapienza’s Campus)

15:30 – 17:30
Continuities and Discontinuities in Central Asia and the Caucasus. A Visual Approach to the Human Landscape

Chair:
Aldo FERRARI, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Adriano ROSSI, ISMEO – The International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies.

Venue: National Central Library of Rome, Viale Castro Pretorio n.105
Room: Sala Macchia

Central Asian Leniniana: Textual Iconographies of Vladimir Il’ič Lenin in Soviet Tajikistan
Stefano PELLO’, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice

The project OSCOP. Observing South Caucasus’ Historical Landscape: An Open Photo Archive
Stefano RICCIONI, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz

Download the programme as a pdf file