Please join us for the 3rd Annual Edward A. Allworth Memorial Lecture, given by Regine A. Spector (University of Massachusetts, Amherst).

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This talk examines everyday people in Central Asia who have engaged in small to medium-sized business opportunities over the past quarter century. Based on interviews, historical research, and survey data, the talk will address questions such as: Who are bazaar traders and apparel producers in the region?  What meanings, challenges, and aspirations do they associate with their work? How can a focus on understanding trends in trade and production in the region from the perspective of those engaged in this work help to address challenges related to poverty and inequality?

Regine A. Spector is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her first book, Order at the Bazaar: Power and Trade in Central Asia (Cornell University Press 2017), examines local understandings and practices related to marketplace orders in Kyrgyzstan and she has also published articles in Polity, Problems of Post-Communism, Post-Soviet Affairs, Review of International Political Economy, and Central Asian Survey on a range of topics including the recomposition of apparel manufacturing in Kyrgyzstan.

Annual Edward A. Allworth Memorial Lecture

The annual Edward A. Allworth Memorial Lectures were established to honor the memory of Professor Allworth (1920-2016), distinguished pioneer in the field of Central Asian Studies. Allworth, an alumnus of the Russian Institute and longtime faculty member at Columbia University, was founding director of both the Program on Soviet Nationality Problems (1970) and the Center for Central Asian Studies (1984). His many publications include eight books, among them his seminal Central Asia: A Century of Russian Rule (1967; third edition published as Central Asia: 130 Years of Russian Rule, 1994), and The Tatars of Crimea: Return to the Homeland (2d ed. 1989). He mentored dozens of accomplished scholars from around the world and introduced the rich culture and history of the region to countless more. The Central Eurasian Studies Society honored Allworth posthumously with its 2016 Lifetime Service to the Field Award.