Bishkek, 9–13 September 2025 — Crossroads Central Asia (CCA) hosted the first summer school in the international series “Social Cohesion and Public Policy in Central Asia and the Caucasus: Disentangling the Linkage Through Ideas, Interests and Institutions.” The event brought together 19 early-career researchers from Central Asia, the Caucasus, Mongolia, and Germany for a week of lectures, workshops, and collaborative learning.
A Regional Initiative Supported by the Volkswagen Foundation
This summer school is part of a year-long initiative supported by the Volkswagen Foundation, with upcoming sessions in Almaty (March 2026) and Tbilisi (September 2026). The project is jointly organized by TU Dortmund University (Germany), Crossroads Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan), Kazakh-German University (Kazakhstan), the University of Georgia, and Tbilisi State University (Georgia).
The initiative seeks to deepen understanding of how social cohesion and public policy interact, while building a vibrant, region-wide network of emerging scholars committed to policy-relevant research.
A Diverse and Dynamic Programme
The four-day Bishkek programme combined lectures, workshops, networking activities, and cultural excursions. It opened with remarks from project leaders Nora Becker (lead coordinator, TU Dortmund), Shairbek Dzhuraev (CCA), and Serik Beimenbetov (Kazakh-German University), along with Daniela Grages, who represented the donor, Volkswagen Foundation. Following these remarks, the main part of the summer school began with a keynote address by Zuhra Halimova (CAPS Unlock) on bridging academia and policy in the region.
Key sessions and themes of the summer school included:
- Research and Methodology Skills – Sessions by Anja Mihr (OSCE Academy) on public policy as a research field; Gabriele Rasuly Paleczek (University of Vienna) on conducting interviews in rural areas; Mehrigiul Ablezova (AUCA) on the benefits and limits of survey research; and a lecture by Serik Beimenbetov on qualitative methods for studying public policy and cohesion.
- Social Cohesion Perspectives – Ilkham Umarakhunov (Search for Common Ground) on community-based cohesion projects and Asel Murzakulova (University of Central Asia) on non-human agency in shaping cohesion.
- Practical Academic Training – Workshops on writing for academic audiences (Sebastian Mayer, OSCE Academy), publishing strategies (Sebastien Peyrouse, George Washington University), and navigating peer-review processes (Aijan Sharshenova and Shairbek Dzhuraev).
- Professional Development – A session on project management for researchers by Nora Becker (TU Dortmund) and a lecture by Aijan Sharshenova (CCA) on empowerment and positionality in academia.
- Ethics and Security in Research – Lectures on research ethics and fieldwork security by Aliia Maralbaeva (Ala-Too University) and Bakhytzhan Kurmanov (University of Central Asia).
Collaboration and Community
Beyond formal lectures and workshops, the summer school placed strong emphasis on building connections among participants. Team-building activities, poster sessions, and an “open market” of research ideas created space for peer-to-peer exchange. Informal settings — from shared meals to interactive warm-ups — further fostered trust and exchange.
Excursions also played an important role. A guided walking tour of Bishkek allowed participants to experience the city in a more personal way, while the visit to the Ata Beyit Memorial Complex provided a moving encounter with Kyrgyzstan’s history and collective memory. These activities underscored the link between academic discussions of social cohesion and the lived realities of the societies in which they take place.
Participants represented Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. This diversity of backgrounds and disciplines enriched the discussions and laid the foundation for lasting professional networks across the region and beyond.
Outcomes and Next Steps
The Bishkek summer school succeeded in meeting its twin objectives: strengthening research skills and fostering a regional network committed to policy-relevant scholarship. Participants left with concrete project ideas, peer feedback, and a clearer sense of how their work connects to broader debates on governance, inequality, and social change.
The next steps in the project will take the group to Almaty in March 2026 for the second summer school, where they will continue developing their research outputs and receive advanced training on methodology and dissemination. The programme will culminate in September 2026 with a final school and conference in Tbilisi, where participants will present their findings to a wider academic and policy audience.
Crossroads Central Asia is proud to have hosted the first stage of this ambitious project and remains committed to creating platforms where research, policy, and practice intersect. By supporting young scholars and connecting them across borders, the initiative contributes to building a more robust intellectual community for Central Asia and the Caucasus.