Working with the University

Tynara Ryskulova (my Kyrgyz teacher from trip to Kyrgyzstan last year) was kind enough to introduce me to some of her colleague in the anthropology department at the American University – Central Asia. ACUA actually has the only anthropology department in all of Central Asia. They import a lot of faculty from the U.S. and Europe, but also have many native faculty, most of whom got their degrees in Turkey or the Gulf. A few of them (such as Tynara) got their Ph.D.s right here at AUCA.

My experience with the department was very good. Besides being allowed to take part in an impromptu party (Aigerim Dyikanbaeva, the department head, had a birthday last week and they decided to celebrate), I was also offered a lot of help with my research. For example, Mukaram Toktogulova, one of the faculty, is doing research on small, in-home religious meetings that are increasingly taking place all over Bishkek. She agreed to introduce me to some of the people she has been interviewing. Aigerim offered to help me find students who could act as research assistants, and also introduced me to the people in AUCA’s Center for Social Research. The CSR sets up speakers from time to time, and they think they will schedule me in to speak in a month or so.

In all, it seems like my choice to affiliate myself with AUCA was a good one. The anthropology department is having a party on Tuesday, so I will get to meet some of the students and hopefully set up a few interviews.