A few MARS project members presented their research at the joint CESS and ESCAS conference, which took place on January 8–10, 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal. The international Conference «Geopolitics, Migrations and Identities in Central Eurasia» featured Professor Timur Dadabaev from the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Tsukuba, Professor Peter Finke from the department of Social and Cultural Anthropology of the University of Zurich and Dr Sherzod Eraliev from the Sociology of Law department of Lund University, who are all part of the MARS project.
The first day of the conference was entirely dedicated to discussing the EU relations with the Caucasus and Central Asia countries: Bilateral and Multilateral Partnerships, Cooperation Agreements and Geopolitical Issues. The panels were prepared to bring together scholars and academic experts from different geographies, and senior staff and politicians from the EU, the Caucasus and Central Asia countries.
Another project member Prof Peter Finke was also a convenor of the panel “Central Eurasia in a multi-vectoral world: geo-political concerns, transnational migration and global investment schemes”. Prof Finke also presented his research on “Qazaq diasporas between host, homeland and great powers”, where he looked into the national identity issues of the migrants of Kazakhstan when moving abroad.
Prof Timur Dadabaev, who was also the convenor of the panel titled “Geopolitics of Non-Western Migration in/out of Central Asia” together with his colleague Sonoda Shigeto from the University of Tokyo presented his research on “From close borders to open gates: Central Asia as a new destination of Russian migration after Russian Invasion of Ukraine”. Prof Dadabaev talked about the first wave of migration of Russians to Central Asia immediately after the war broke out, focusing on the motivations, perceptions and integration of migrants in the Central Asian context. He also explored the thematic frames and shifting identities of the new migrants.
Dr Sherzod Eraliev participated in the same panel with the presentation “Central Asian Migration to Northern Europe: Finland and Sweden”. Dr Eraliev provided a case study of chain migration of people from Uzbekistan to Finland and Sweden, examining the factors that contribute to people’s decision to migrate to the Nordic countries, and their adaptation mechanisms and strategies.
The mission of the CESS – Central Eurasian Studies Society is to: facilitate communication and interaction among scholars of the Central Eurasia region, and in doing so to promote high standards of scholarship and instruction about the Central Eurasia region; to promote cooperation among persons and organizations concerned with the scholarly study of Central Eurasia; and to promote general knowledge of and public interest in Central Eurasia.
The European Society for Central Asian Studies (ESCAS) seeks to support the study of Central Asia — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and adjacent regions of the Caucasus, Russia, China, Afghanistan and Iran. Its main activity is a biennial conference hosted in one of the European countries or in Central Asia.