Central Asia and the Caucasus in Transition: International Perspectives?

The Centre international de formation européenne (CIFE) and the Institut für Europäische Politik (IEP) are organising a high-level international conference on the “Central Asia and the Caucasus in Transition: International Perspectives?” at the Ilia State University in Tbilisi on the 30th and 31th of August 2018. The conference is taking place in the framework of the PhD support programme “The EU, Central Asia and the Caucasus in the International System” (EUCACIS) which is organised with significant funding from the Volkswagen Foundation and financially supported by the Erasmus+ Programme.

The Caucasian and Central Asian states are witnessing significant changes in their political landscape at the moment, and are still characterized by their historical background and cultural and religious traditions. With regard to the current developments, the conference is devoted to the discussion of the transition processes Central Asian and the Southern Caucasian countries are undergoing: Which opportunities for democratic transition can be expected in the South Caucasian and Central Asian states? How are internal state building and democracy building processes executed, and what influence do foreign actors have on local politics, civil society and socio-cultural developments? What role does the historical background of the post-soviet countries play in their current political situation? How are the Central Asian and South Caucasian states positioning themselves in the international community, especially in regards to the EU? And which new fields of cooperation between the EU, the South Caucasus and the Central Asian states can be developed and strengthened?

These questions will be discussed with high-level speakers from the Central Asia, Europe and the Southern Caucasus as well as researchers and PhD candidates from the three regions. The junior researchers have the chance to present their research projects in the international conference and receive feedback from renowned researchers. The conference offers them networking opportunities with other researchers, university professors and lecturers from Europe and the wider Central Asia. It aims at establishing a European-Central Asia-Southern Caucasus research network, including the fellows of the EUCACIS programme and alumni of the Master Programme “The EU and Central Asia in the International System”.

Submission of paper proposals: CIFE and IEP invite doctoral researchers and MA students in their last year to submit paper proposals, which are related to one of the following topics:

•    The Role of International Organisations in Central Asia and the South Caucasus
•    State Building in the South Caucasus and Central Asia
•    Peace and Stability in the South Caucasus
•    Heritage and Modernity in the Wider Central Asia
•    Political, Social and Cultural Transition in the Wider Central Asia

Please submit your paper abstracts plus a short CV in English to Ms. Janny Schulz by 30st of June 2018. The abstracts should have a length of 300 words.

Invitation to the Conference: Participants of the working groups of the international conference will be selected from the submitted paper abstracts by a board of reviewers. Selected participants can present their papers in the international conference and do not have to pay a conference fee; food and drinks will be provided. 

About the Centre international de formation européenne (CIFE) : Established in 1954, CIFE is a private, non-profit international organisation, receiving the support of the European Union and other organisations. CIFE has offices in Nice, Berlin, Brussels and Istanbul. The programmes of CIFE encompass educational and research activities concerning European integration, federalism, regionalism and changes within the structure of contemporary society in accordance with a federalist perspective.

More information: www.cife.eu

About the Institut für Europäische Politik (IEP): Since its founding (1959), the IEP has been a non-profit organisation dedicated to the study of European integration and of the EU in the international system. It is one of the leading foreign and European policy research centres in the Federal Republic of Germany and serves as a forum for exchange between academia, politics, administration and political education.

More information: www.iep-berlin.de