On 24 April, IAIS hosted the next session of its Frontier Talks series on the topic “The Conceptual Problem of Central Asian Studies”, featuring Dr. Farkhod Tolipov, Director of the Bilim Karvoni Non-Governmental Research Institute and PhD in Political Science.

In his lecture, Dr. Tolipov addressed the conceptual and methodological challenges in the study of Central Asia. He noted that the region is often analysed through the main schools of international relations theory, including realism, liberalism and constructivism. However, he emphasised that many existing approaches remain one-sided, relying mainly on visible political and geopolitical factors, which can lead to simplified understandings of the region’s development.

A central part of the discussion focused on what Dr. Tolipov described as national-regional dualism. He highlighted several dimensions of this dualism, including geography, upstream and downstream relations, nomadic and sedentary traditions, Turkic-Persian cultural interaction, the Astana–Tashkent dynamic, political systems, and internal and external integration. According to the speaker, these dualities demonstrate the complexity of Central Asia as both an existing region and a region still being shaped through ideas, policies and institutions.

The seminar concluded with an exchange of views on the future of Central Asian Studies and the need for more nuanced conceptual frameworks in understanding the region.