A combination of research fieldwork and private travel in 2023 and 2024 provided Margaret Norington opportunities for gaining perspectives on academic research and teaching in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, at the same time, allowing her to develop an understanding of the day-to-day lives of people there.  Travelling through the area at the crossroads of civilisations, shaped by historical events and topography, her travels included visits to iconic sites - Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand – cities and universities - and nomadic areas of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.  Formal/arranged and informal/serendipitous conversations provided opportunities to gain perspectives - on historical events that have shaped these states, value placed on   traditions and cultural heritage – and on hopes and fears for the future of families and society.  Margaret will use material illustrating how architecture, food, family and societal and religious practices contribute national identity.

Speaker:

Margaret is a PhD Candidate at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University.  Her research focusses on the nature and key elements of the engagement between the European Union and the Central Asian republics since 1991, with a specific focus on the challenges being faced by the five republics: economic development, maintenance of political stability, managing environmental threats, and ensuring energy security, including transitioning from GHG emitting fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.