Visually-Impaired Version 
Synopsis: Field research has been an essential method to study politics since at least the 1950s. This lecture offers some personal reflections and practical advice on the conduct of field research in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and China. First, the lecturer will offer a brief outline of the aims, stages, principles, and methods of field research. Second, she will share her own experiences and advise on how to prepare for and manage the field: from Murgab in the Pamirs to Urumqi, to Bishkek, Shanghai, and other places. She will also discuss the importance of culture (in its broad sense) in doing field research by focusing on identity, positionality, and reflectivity.
About the speaker: Assel Bitabarova is a PhD candidate and teaching professor at the International School of Economics, KAZGUU University. Her current research project focuses on Sino-Central Asian relations, particularly how China and the three Central Asian states – namely, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan – perceive each other. Her research interests also include Chinese foreign policy, Kazakhstan’s foreign policy, critical geopolitics, knowledge production, and intersubjectivity.
Date: December, 12
Time: 10 am
Room: 202 The lecture is open for all.
