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Steppe Sisters & Humboldtians Early Career Conference

Tashkent, Uzbekistan

September 5-7, 2022

The Steppe Sisters Network supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation will hold a conference for early career researchers at the National Center of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan in Tashkent from September 5-7, 2022. The training workshop is designed to enhance the capacity of women researchers in history, archaeology, ecology, and anthropology and create a community of scholars interested in Central and Inner Asian Research. The conference will focus on topics to help early career researchers and students succeed in a wide range of academic fields.

Eligibility and Requirements

Early-career women researchers working in the fields of history, archaeology, ecology, and anthropology of Central and Inner Asia can apply for the conference (master and PhD students, as well as post-docs, are encouraged). The Steppe Sisters Network stands for equality, diversity, and inclusion in academia and offers a platform for all underrepresented groups.

Considering limited financial resources and the numbers that can be accommodated for an effective workshop, we may not be able to accept all applicants. We will prioritize women researchers in the early stage of their career from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,  Turkmenistan, and Mongolia, who demonstrate a need for training and support. Our goal is to reach researchers who otherwise may not have access to the types of support and training we will provide.

Applicants are welcome to mention in their file whether their home institution may partly or fully provide funding to cover their travel and stay. This may help us to invite additional participants to attend the conference. Those who intend to apply on self-funded bases can be within or outside this region, but their intended work should focus on Central and Inner Asia.

The working language of the conference is English. Therefore, a good knowledge of English is required. A limited number of sessions can be held in Russian and/or Uzbek upon request. Onsite translations into Russian and/or Uzbek can also be made available.

Structure of the Conference

The conference will take place over three days, with two days dedicated to sessions and workshops, and one day devoted to a museum visit. Some themes of the workshop will include: how to apply for and thrive in graduate school, how to pursue postdoctoral research and seek external funding, how to present academic work, and how to negotiate challenging circumstances in field and institutional settings. In addition, we will hold workshop sessions that address fieldwork organization, archaeological software and resources, cultural heritage management, museums and art fairs, and other specific topics of interest to conference participants. 

Instructors: Steppe Sisters Steering Committee Members and Humboldtians

Elissa Bullion, US Natural Resources Conservation Service and University of Pittsburgh

Katie Campbell, University of Cambridge

Ainash Childebayeva, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and Institute of Genetics and General Cytology in Almaty, Kazakhstan 

Cecilia Conte, Humboldt University of Berlin

Dilnoza Duturaeva, School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris (EHESS) and National Center of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan

Ashleigh Haruda, University of Oxford

Kristen Hopper, Durham University

Johanna Lhuillier, French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS)

Leslee Michelsen, Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design in Honolulu

Lynne M. Rouse, German Archaeological Institute

Dilrabo Tosheva, University of Queensland and National Center of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan

Alicia Ventresca Miller, University of Michigan

Mariana Castro, New York University

Keynote lecture by our guest speaker

Rozaliya Garipova, Nazarbayev University 

«Muslim Women and the Transmission of Knowledge between the Volga-Urals and Central Asia»

Funding

Financial support for travel is available through the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Please indicate on your application your estimated travel costs so we can try to accommodate as many people as possible. During the conference, meals will be served to all participants, housing can also be provided in student residences upon request. Onsite childcare will also be available to participants, please contact us if you will need childcare so that we can ensure reasonable accommodations. 

Application Process

To apply to participate in the Steppe Sisters and Humboldtians Early Career Conference please complete and submit the online application form. We encourage those interested to submit their application before May 15, 2022.

For additional queries, please contact the Steppe Sisters steering committee members via email to: hello@steppesisters.org. For questions related to full or partial funding support, please contact Dilnoza Duturaeva dilnoza.duturaeva@ehess.fr.

Conference Program