On May 6-7, 2024, the Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS), in collaboration with the Institute of Social Sciences RANEPA, organized an international conference on “National Identity in Contemporary Central Asia: Symbols, Discourses, Narratives”. The opening remarks of the conference were delivered by Vladimir Malakhov, Director of the Research Center for Theoretical and Applied Political Science at RANEPA; Ilya Zhenin, Ph.D. in History; Akram Umarov, First Vice-Rector of the University of World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED); Gulnoza Ismailova, Vice-Rector for Science and Innovation at UWED; and Sherzod Abdullaev, Director of IAIS.

The first day of the conference focused on the following themes: “The Role of Islam in Constructing Kazakh Identity and Nation-Building”, “Regimes of Historical Memory in Post-Soviet Central Asia”, and “Specificities of Forming Uzbekistan's National Identity after 1991”.

On the second day, discussions centered around topics such as “Old and New Heroes in Historical Narratives (Using the Example of Kurmanjan Datka and Mikhail Frunze)”, “Digital Traces of Soviet Projects in Russian New Media” and “Strategies of History Nationalization in Central Asian States (Using the Example of School History Textbooks in the Kyrgyz Republic)” and others.

Overall, the conference presented an extensive analysis of national identity within the context of contemporary Central Asia, emphasizing the importance of further research in this area for understanding the dynamics of societal development and intercultural interaction in the region.