International academic collaboration plays a vital role in intellectual exchange, fostering mutual learning and enriching scholarly diversity. Yet socio-political and economic disparities often prevent truly equitable partnerships between researchers from different regions.

For decades, Central Asia has served as a knowledge extraction zone for Western scholars—data mined from local archives and fieldwork frequently reappears in foreign dissertations, articles, and monographs with minimal local benefit. This dynamic persists even for Central Asian researchers working within Western institutions.

Given that structural inequalities will endure for the foreseeable future, how can this imbalance be addressed? What specific actions can scholars—both local and Western—take to transform these extractive practices into genuine partnerships?

13.00–14.30 Lecture by Yale University Professor Molly Brunson “Paint It Black: Mining and Representation in the Russian Empire” and Q&A

14.45–16.00 Round table “History, Art, Field: How to Study Central Asia Today?” with the participation of Zhuldyz Smagulova (KIMEP), Gulmira Sultangaliyeva (KazNU), Elvira Nogoybayeva (Esimde Research Platform, Bishkek), Jamilya Nurkaliyeva (Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture), Claire Rosien (Yale University), Nariman Shelekpayev (Yale University)

16.00–16.15 Presentation of the third Horizon issue with Jamilya Nurkaliyeva and Furqat Palvan-Zade

16.15–16.45 Screening of “The Ball and the Polo Stick, or the Book of Ecstasy”