Project Update #11: Dr Steve Roberts Lecture & Article Published at LSE Engenderings

April 17, 2018

Part of the: World Bank & Sexual Violence Research Initiative Project: ‘Combatting Sexual Violence in Kyrgyzstan through Innovative Education and Information Technology (Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia)’

Dr Elena Kim, Dr Elena Molchanova, Aigerim Bakubatova, and Dr Frank G. Karioris

On March 6^th, 2018 the Center for Critical Gender Studies hosted Dr Steve Roberts, Associate Professor of Sociology at Monash Unviersity (Australia). Dr Roberts lecture was part of the center’s lecture series. The lecture series is part of the educational component of this project, and aims to increase discussion of cutting edge research at AUCA and in Kyrgyzstan on topics related to gender.

This week Asel Shamyrbekova, a Senior in the Sociology Department at AUCA, published her review of Dr Roberts’ lecture at the London School of Economics Engenderings. Her piece is titled ‘Young Working Class Men in Transition: Lecture Review of Dr Steve Roberts’. This publication is part of the work Asel has been doing in her Independent Study course ‘Gender, Generation, and Aging’ which she is taking this semester with Dr Frank G. Karioris.

As noted above, the publication is a review of a lecture given by Dr Steve Roberts as part of the Center for Critical Gender Studies’ lecture series, run in collaboration with the Anthropology Club this semester.  In her publication, Asel lays out the fundamental elements from Dr Robert’s lecture, discussing the methodological components as well as the analytic findings from his work. The piece then goes on to discuss the ways that this research can be looked at and connected to Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia. In total, Asel is extremely positive about the lecture and Dr Roberts’ work, and shows starting places where scholars in the region would be able to utilize this type of research and analysis to better understand young men in Central Asia.

Dr Karioris had this to say about the publication: “I could not be happier for Asel. It is moments like these that make us, as educators, truly happy. I am so proud of her and her successes. She has put a lot of work into this piece – and into the class more generally – and this publication is a great demonstration of her skills, knowledge, and what she is capable of. Asel and her publication are a fantastic example of the types and level of success that AUCA students are able to accomplish.”

The Center for Critical Gender Studies has hosted two other lectures and readings this semester. Dr Karioris will be working with students to try and get their reviews published as well. Updates regarding these lectures will be posted in the coming weeks.