Engagera dig i CAG:s genusgrupp!

Är du intresserad av att arbeta för tjejers rättigheter och ett starkt civilsamhälle? Vill du upptäcka ett land och en kultur som du antagligen knappt ens vet var det ligger? Just nu söker Centralasiengrupperna fyra drivna personer till sin genusgrupp som också är intresserade av att åka till Kirgizistan. Sök senast 30 januari!...

(English) Part 2 on Democratization in Kyrgyzstan: Novi Ritm’s Contribution to Democratization of Kyrgyzstan

How can Novi Ritm be seen as contributing to the democratization process of Kyrgyzstan? In the last blog post, Perspectives on Democracy, I offered different conceptions of democracy and how the Central Asia Solidarity Groups (hereby abbreviated CAG) in particular understands the concepts of “democracy” and “democratization”. In this second and last blog post in the mini series, we will delve deeper into what actions CAG’s understanding of democracy and democratization leads them to take in Central Asia by analyzing how one of their main partners, the youth organization Novi Ritm in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, can be said to contribute...

[English] Two weeks of preparation

The picture above is from this week when me and Amanda, the organization Vardagens Civilkurage, our colleagues from Novi Ritm and CAG’s international coordinator Annika had a workshop in Malmö, Sweden. We practiced different roles you can have in a meeting e.g how you can intervene if someone interrupts and how you can act in different situations to make a meeting as democratic as possible. We also practiced different dialogue methods. The workshop was organized by Vardagens Civilkurage and was very good and interesting. This week has also been a lot about planning, mostly activities related to Resolution 1325...

(English) Part 2. Women’s Roles in the Construction of Identity in Kyrgyzstan: Ideas and Expectations of Women

Welcome to the second blogpost in the miniseries about the roles of women in Kyrgyz national identity! In the first blogpost, I introduced and elaborated on concepts such as national identity. Ethnicity, religion, and nomadism are all important, yet in very different ways, in Kyrgyzstani identity. In this part, I will continue to elaborate on how these are part in shaping ideas and expectations of Kyrgyz women, and how this might have an impact on women’s situation in Kyrgyzstan today. Because of rather limited space, much will be generalized, thus I want to highlight that there exists multiple dimensions...

(English) Part 1. Women’s Roles in the Construction of Identity in Kyrgyzstan: What is Kyrgyz National Identity?

Welcome to the first blogpost in the miniseries about the roles of women in Kyrgyz national identity! This post will be dedicated to clarify some concepts, such as national identity and gender, and shortly explain how and why they relate to each other. I will present a few theories of how national identity is constructed and maintained, to elaborate on my first out of three questions presented in my introductory post: What has been central in the construction of Kyrgyz national identity post-independence? What is National Identity? The understanding of a nation can be manifold. Several scholars from many...

(English) Part 1 on Democratization in Kyrgyzstan: Perspectives on Democracy

What is democratization? How does it come about? How does Central Asia Solidarity Groups view democratization in general and in Kyrgyzstan in particular? All over the globe, people tend to have a love-hate relationship to the word “democracy”. It might be the most frequently used word in political speech. It might also be the most unclear word in political speech. The sibling of the word, “democratization”, which tries to capture the process with which any given entity is said to be moving towards what is called democracy, is arguably even more difficult to grasp. Since I like drama, this...

(English) Women, Peace and Security in Southern Kyrgyzstan – About Novi Ritm’s Project 1325

Kyrgyzstan is considered the most progressive and democratic out of the five post-Soviet Central Asian republics. However, in regards to the realization of women’s rights and human security, the Kyrgyz republic struggles. Since independence three violent conflicts have occurred, the latest in the Osh region of Southern Kyrgyzstan in 2010. These outbreaks of violence have given strength to two trends of nationalism and retraditionalization, which continues to severely limit women’s freedom and control over their own lives. For example, according to the latest National Review of the Kyrgyz Republic in the framework of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for...

CAG-utställning Aktivism, civilsamhälle och rättighetsarbete i Kirgizistan nu på Sverigeturné!

Det har varit en rejäl resa. Efter vi fick ekonomiska medel av Forum Syd i början av året, träffat många olika civilsamhällsaktörer i Kirgizistan och utvecklat ett visuellt koncept under sommaren, är CAGs utställning Aktivism, civilsamhälle och rättighetsarbete i Kirgizistan äntligen på turné genom Sverige! Turnén fick en framgångsrik lansering på Frilagret i Göteborg, en livlig mötesplats för unga på centrala Järntorget. Sedan dess har den flyttat till Malmö där den just nu visas på Stadsbiblioteket i den fina nya inglasade delen Ljusets kalender. Senare denna månad kommer utställningen även visas på Malmös unika oberoende Biograf Panora, innan den...

(English) Introduction of the Intern Isabelle and Women’s Roles in the Construction of Identity in Kyrgyzstan

Hi everyone, My name is Isabelle Persson, and I am currently working in Southern Kyrgyzstan with Centralasiengrupperna’s main local partner Novi Ritm in Osh. At 25 years, I have managed to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies at Malmö University, where I previously studied pedagogics and drama. I also studied abroad one semester in Melbourne, Australia, where I had the pleasure of not only enjoying the amazing culture of the First Peoples but also get out of my comfort zone and study Macroeconomics and International Business. My civil society engagement has largely been party political throughout...