Education
BA in International Area Studies, Eurasian National University (Kazakhstan)
MA in International Area Studies, University of Tsukuba (Japan)
MA in History, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Research Interests
I specialize in Russian imperial and Soviet history, with a particular interest in the societies of tsarist and Soviet Muslims. My dissertation examines the social and political history of Muslim religious institutions on the Kazakh steppe during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This transformative period, often referred to as the Islamic revival on the steppe, witnessed a rapid growth of religious institutions. By drawing from both tsarist and Muslim sources, my work offers a reinterpretation of existing scholarly narratives, providing a more nuanced portrayal of tsarist Muslims and their responses to the challenges as well as opportunities engendered by the Russian imperial expansion into Central Asia.
Some Notable Publications
“Understanding Tsarist Patronage of Islam on the Kazakh Steppe.” Journal of Central Asian History, 3:1 (2024): 1-30
“Qazaq Princess” on Russian Throne: Catherine II’s ‘Tale of Khlor’ and its Literary Spin-offs.” Study of Islam in Central Eurasia’s Blog, Austrian Academy of Sciences, January 2024
“Shajara-i Turk: A 17th-century Turko-Chinggisid Genealogy from Central Asia.” Open Islamicate Texts Initiative (OpenITI), September 2023
Notable Awards and Fellowships
2024 CESSS Biennial Graduate Student Paper Award – Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS)
2023-24 Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Writing Fellowship – Institute for Citizens & Scholars (Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation)
2022-23 Russia Research Grant – Harriman Institute, Columbia University
2022 Archival Research Grant – German Historical Institute’s in Moscow (DHIM)
2021-22 ASEEES Dissertation Research Grant in Russian Studies – Association for Slavic, East European, & Eurasian Studies (ASEEES)
2021 Fellowship for Excellence in Persian Studies – Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute
2020-21 Religions and Public Life Graduate Fellowship – Kenan Institute for Ethics, Duke University
2020 Bernadotte E. Schmitt Grant for Research in European, African, or Asian History – American Historical Association
Courses Offered
HIST 162: Russian History since 1860 to the Present Day (Instructor)
HIST 163: Modern Central Asia (TA)
HIST 139: History of Muslim Societies since 1500 (TA)
HIST 140: The World since 1945 (TA)
