Biography

Dr Aijan Sharshenova joined IGSD in February 2024 as a Research Fellow working on the Horizon Europe project SHAPEDEM-EU ‘Rethinking and Reshaping the EU’s Democracy Support in its Eastern and Southern Neighbourhood’. Aijan’s research interests include democracy promotion, autocracy diffusion, foreign policy and soft power. She holds two Masters in the EU and Central Asian Studies and in International Studies, and a PhD in Politics from the University of Leeds. She authored a book on the EU democracy promotion in Central Asia and co-edited a recent book on navigating positionality in research.

In addition to her academic career, Dr. Sharshenova has worked on promoting sustainable development goals in the international development area, including within the UN system in the Middle East.

Recent publications

BOOKS

- Dall’Agnola, J. and Sharshenova, A. (eds) 2023. Researching Central Asia: Navigating positionality in the field, Springer Briefs in Political Science series, available at https://link.springer.com/book/9783031390258

- Sharshenova, A. 2018. The European Union’s democracy promotion in Central Asia, Columbia University Press & Ibidem Verlag, available at https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-european-unions-democracy-promotion-in-central-asia/9783838211510

JOURNAL ARTICLES

- Sharshenova, A. & Pierobon, C. 2023. ‘German and Russian public diplomacy in Kyrgyzstan’, Europe-Asia Studies Journal, 75(8), pp. 1384-1407, available at https://doi.org/10.1080/09668136.2023.2213871

- Adambussinova, Z. and Sharshenova, A. 2023. ‘Mesta pamyati postsovetskoi nostalgii v sovermennom Bishkeke’ (Memory sites of post-Soviet nostalgia in contemporary Bishkek – in Russian), Nemonomif interdisciplinary decolonial journal, no.4, pp.4-14, available at https://esimde.org/archives/3306

- Sharshenova, A. & Crawford, G. 2017. ‘Undermining Western democracy promotion in Central Asia: China’s countervailing influences, powers and impact’, Central Asian Survey, vol.36, no.4, pp. 453-472, available at https://doi.org/10.1080/02634937.2017.1372364

BOOK CHAPTERS

- Sharshenova, A. 2024 (forthcoming). ‘Polity diffusion and regime security in Central Asia’ in Elmuradov, A. and Borschelt Camelo, M.S. (eds) Shifting Security and Power Constellations in Central Asia, Nomos

- Sharshenova, A. 2022. ‘Evolution of governance in the Kyrgyz Republic: Thirty years in transition”, in Amarasinghe, P. & Leontiev, L. (eds) Thirty years looking back: State building, rule of law and human rights in the post-Soviet space, Routledge, available at https://www.routledge.com/State-Building-Rule-of-Law-Good-Governance-and-Human-Rights-in-Post-Soviet/Leontiev-Amarasinghe/p/book/9781032055381

- Sharshenova, A. 2016. ‘The European Union’s assistance to Kyrgyzstan: Good intentions, mixed results’ in Axyonova, V. (ed.) European Engagement under Review: Promoting Values and Standards in the Post-Soviet Space, Columbia University Press & Ibidem Verlag

POLICY BRIEFS AND REPORTS

- Sabyrbekov, R., Sulaimanova, B., and Sharshenova, A. 2024. Digitalization and decarbonization in Central Asia. Open access publication funded by CAREC Think Tanks Network’s grant, available at https://www.carecinstitute.org/publications/new-report-highlights-opportunities-and-challenges-of-digitalization-of-infrastructure-and-decarbonization-in-central-asia/

- Sharshenova, A., Nabiyeva, K., and Schiek, S. (eds) 2024. Living labs and sustainability in Germany and Central Asia. Open access publication funded the German Federal Foreign Office and the German Academic Exchange Service, available at https://spce-hub.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/spcehub_livinglabs_en.pdf

- Sharshenova, A. 2023. ‘Understanding Russia’s Central Asia policy’, Crossroads Central Asia think tank, https://crossroads-ca.org/understanding-russia-s-central-asia-policy/

- Sharshenova A. 2023. ‘The impact of the war in Ukraine on the BRICS: Six takeaways form an expert discussion’, Foreign Policy Centre think tank, available at https://fpc.org.uk/the-impact-of-the-war-in-ukraine-on-the-brics-six-takeaways-from-an-expert-discussion/

- Sharshenova, A. 2023. ‘Walking a fine line – Kyrgyzstan’s foreign policy post-2022’, European Neighbourhood Council think tank, available at http://encouncil.org/2023/05/17/enc-analysis-walking-a-fine-line-kyrgyzstans-foreign-policy-post-2022/

- Sharshenova, A., Schiek, S., Tskhay, A., and Dzhuraev, Sh. 2023. Central Asia Forecasting 2023: Results from an expert survey. OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and IGPT Berlin, open access publication funded by Friedrich Ebert Foundation, available at https://centralasia-forecasting.net/