Centre for Oriental Studies of the University of Tartu

20/05/2026

💡 The Centre for Oriental Studies has recently published a report examining the rapidly evolving media landscape of Central Asia, focusing on digital media growth, external influence, and the opportunities and challenges shaping political discourse in the region.

In recent years, Central Asia has undergone major geopolitical changes driven by China’s growing influence, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and improving relations among Central Asian states. As the region seeks new partnerships in trade, security, education, and technology, interest from Western actors has also increased. These developments are reflected in the changing media landscape, where digital media and independent online journalism have created new opportunities for political discussion and alternative voices.

Read more 👇

Report: Struggling Across Screens: Production and Consumption, Threats and Opportunities in Central Asia’s Mediasphere

13/05/2026

📣 We are pleased to invite you to a guest lecture titled “The Sumerian Word That Could Start a War: ég.ki.sur.ra and the Language of Boundary Transgression in Pre-Sargonic Lagaš” The lecture, presented by research fellow Edward Coidani, will take place on May 14 at 16:15 at Ülikooli 16-218.

In the royal inscriptions of ancient Lagaš (c. 2520–2375 BC), one unusual Sumerian compound appears six times. Whenever a ruler of Umma diverts water from it, crosses it with an army, claims it as his own, or is threatened with divine punishment for crossing it, and on the one occasion a victorious king of Lagaš halts his pursuit at it, the term ég.ki.sur.ra appears in the corpus. Yet it is completely absent from texts about building canals, maintaining dikes, or ordinary administration.

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We are pleased to invite you to a guest lecture titled “The Sumerian Word That Could Start a War: ég.ki.sur.ra and the Language of Boundary Transgression in Pre-Sargonic Lagaš” The lecture, presented by research fellow Edward Coidani, will take place on May 14 at 16:15 in room 218 of Ülikooli...

21/04/2026

💡Diplomaatias ilmus Alevtina Solovyeva and Vladimir Sazonov ühine artikkel Venemaa, Hiina ja Iraani rollist Kesk-Aasia geopoliitilises ruumis.

Eesti jaoks ei ole Kesk-Aasia enam üksnes mingi suvaline ja kauge geopoliitiline ruum, vaid oluline sõlmpunkt ja strateegiline piirkond. Regiooni tähtsust rõhutavad Venemaa-vastaste sanktsioonide rakendamine ning uued transpordikoridorid ja koostöövõimalused Euroopa ja Aasia vahel. Samuti seovad mitmed energiajulgeoleku küsimused piirkonda üha tihedamalt Euroopa Liidu ja Eesti strateegiliste huvidega. Seetõttu on Kesk-Aasia arengud muutunud oluliseks osaks laiemast Euraasia geopoliitilisest dünaamikast, kus uusi jõujooni kujundavad Venemaa, Hiina ja üha aktiivsem Iraan...

Loe rohkem 👇

Eesti jaoks ei ole Kesk-Aasia enam üksnes mingi suvaline ja kauge geopoliitiline ruum, vaid oluline sõlmpunkt ja strateegiline piirkond. Regiooni tähtsust rõhutavad Venemaa-vastaste sanktsioonide rakendamine ning uued transpordikoridorid ja koostöövõimalused Euroopa ja Aasia vahel. Samuti seo...

23/03/2026

💡The visiting scholar at our Mongolian Research Lab, Dr Mari Valdur, has just published an article ‘Extraordinary Estonians, disappearing Duha: tourism imaginaries and imperial identity economies of northern Mongolia.’

The article shows how tour operators and regional geographies of imagination construct ‘the Duha’ as reindeer-herding non-moderns, while highlighting how tourists’ – such as the ‘Estonians’ – self-professed extraordinary qualities are key in this identity economy.

Full article 👇

🔓 Mari has 50 free eprints available for those without journal access. Please email or message her directly to request a copy.

Similarly to other ‘disappearing’ exoticized groups, ‘the Duha’ in Northern Mongolia are subject to touristic fascination. Covering the background to tourism in the area, this ethnographic article ...

16/03/2026

📣 We are pleased to invite you to a guest lecture, “The Case of Hieromonk Iakov (Vorontsov) and the movement for an Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan”, by Associate Professor Daniel Scarborough, which will be held on March 19 at 16:00, Ülikooli 16-218.

In the early hours of February 13th, 2026, hieromonk Iakov (Voronstov), a defrocked Orthodox priest of the Metropolitanate of Kazakhstan, was arrested at his home in Almaty, and accused of trafficking in narcotics, a charge he denies. He remains in solitary confinement. His Bible and prayer book have been confiscated and his beard shaved against his will.

The actual reason for Fr. Iakov's arrest may have been his public condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and his calls for the creation of an autocephalous Church of Kazakhstan.

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Guest Lecture: The Case of Hieromonk Iakov (Vorontsov) and the movement for an Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan

02/03/2026

💡Postimehes ilmus Carl Liles artikkel Venemaa rollist Süürias aasta pärast Assadi kukutamist.

Viimased talved on mõnedele Kremli liitlastele saatuslikuks osutunud. Kuigi tema režiim on endiselt võimul (vähemalt praegu), tähendab Venezuela endise presidendi Nicolás Maduro hiljutine dramaatiline vahistamine ja USAsse toimetamine, et Venemaa võime välismaal oma võimu näidata paistab üha nõrgemana...

Loe rohkem 👇

Viimased talved on mõnedele Kremli liitlastele saatuslikuks osutunud. Kuigi tema režiim on endiselt võimul (vähemalt praegu), tähendab Venezuela endise presidendi Nicolás Maduro hiljutine dramaatiline vahistamine ja USAsse toimetamine, et Venemaa võime välismaal oma võimu näidata paistab ....

18/02/2026

Сар шинэдээ сайхан шинэлээрэй!
ལོ་གསར་བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས།
Head tulihobuse aastat!
Happy Lunar New Year!

Image: Mari Valdur

11/02/2026

🎉 Today, we celebrate women in research and the allies who support women and other underrepresented groups. In recent years, despite various challenges, regional scholars have produced inspiring ethnographies and cross-cultural analyses that have deepened our understanding of the world.

Here are a few of our favourites!

📖 Billé, F., 2025. Somatic states: On cartography, geobodies, bodily integrity. Duke University Press.

📖 Buyandelger, M. 2022. A Thousand Steps to Parliament: Constructing Electable Women in Mongolia. University of Chicago Press.

📖 Kasmani, O., 2022. Q***r companions: Religion, public intimacy, and saintly affects in Pakistan. Duke University Press.

📖 Marat, E., 2024. Transformative Violence: When Routine Cruelty Sparks Historic Mobilization. Oxford University Press.

📖 Peemot, V.S. 2024. The Horse in My Blood: Multispecies Kinship in the Altai and Saian Mountains. Berghahn Books.

📖 Zhang, A., 2024. Circular ecologies: Environmentalism and waste politics in urban China. Stanford University Press.

Post by Dr Mari Valdur.

02/02/2026

💡 Our colleague Carl Frederick Liles has recently published a fresh article about Central Asia’s Illiberal Peace.

Central Asia’s illiberal peace has endured through inter- and intrastate conflict, but its ability to survive environmental crisis remains untested...

Read more 👇

Central Asia’s illiberal peace has endured through inter- and intrastate conflict, but its ability to survive environmental crisis remains untested.

09/01/2026

📣 We are pleased to invite you to a workshop, “Central Asia at the Crossroads: Powers, Visions, Images of the Future,” which will be held on January 12-13 at 08:50, Ülikooli 16-218.

Central Asia is an ethnically and linguistically diverse region, a home for Turkic, Iranian, and Mongolian peoples and a transit zone for many others. This diversity, along with its nomadic heritage, has shaped both the socio-political structure and the region’s capacity to absorb and transmit cultural influences. Central Asia has historically held immense strategic importance due to its geographic location, diverse populations, and role in regional and global networks. This significance spans from ancient times to the contemporary geopolitical landscape.

This workshop explores Central Asia as a living crossroads – where deep cultural continuities and accelerated state-building intersect with intensifying great-power competition. Bringing together historians, political scientists, anthropologists, economists, and other scholars and practitioners, we examine how the five countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan – articulate national agendas while navigating shifting regional and global orders.

Read more 👇

We are pleased to invite you to a workshop, “Central Asia at the Crossroads: Powers, Visions, Images of the Future,” which will be held on January 12-13 at 08:50, Ülikooli 16-218.