Call for papers for the IV International Conference «At the Crossroads of Cultures: The Jews of Central Asia and the Caucasus»

The Research Center of the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center (Moscow), in partnership with the Ben-Zvi Institute (Jerusalem) and the Department of International and Comparative Politics at the American University of Central Asia (Bishkek), are organizing the 4th International Conference devoted to the interaction and mutual influence between various Jewish groups and their neighbors of other ethnicities and confessions in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

The conference will address a broad range of topics related to Jewish life in Central Asia and the Caucasus, including, but not limited to:

• The impact of modernization and migration on the life of Jewish communities;
• Political engagement and interaction with authorities;
• Relations and interactions with locals and foreign (both Jewish and non-Jewish) populations;
• Cultural history and processes of assimilation;
• Languages and language policy.

The special thematic section for this year will focus on Jewish communities of the East (broadly defined), as well as Jewish communities living on geographical or cultural frontiers, distant from the primary political agenda.

The conference will take place in Moscow on June 2, and in Bishkek on June 4 – 6, 2026. Both in-person and online participation are available (please indicate this in your application).

If you wish to participate in person and require accommodation during the conference, you may indicate this in your application. We will make every effort to arrange accommodation in Moscow (for up to two nights) or in Bishkek (for up to three nights). The Organizing Committee does not provide visa support; however, it can issue an official invitation letter. A limited number of travel grants are available for early-career researchers (master's students, PhD candidates, and researchers who defended their dissertations within the last five years). Please be sure to indicate your interest in your application.

! Applications may be submitted via the online form by March 22 (inclusive) ! Applications are accepted in Russian and English (simultaneous interpretation will be provided).

Notification of acceptance: March 27, 2026.

A peer-reviewed collection of articles based on the conference proceedings will be published in Russian and English.

Conference Organizing Committee:

Svetlana Amosova — Head of the Research Center of the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, Junior Research Fellow in the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow
Görkem Atsungur — Chair of the Department of International and Comparative Politics program, American University of Central Asia, Bishkek
Anastasia Evstigneeva — Conference Secretary, Research Associate at the Research Center of the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, Moscow
Elena Fomenko — Research Associate of the Research Center of the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, Moscow
Zeev Levin — Director of the Research Center of Jews in Central Asia and the Iranian Sphere, Ben-Zvi Institute for the Study of Jewish Communities in the East, Jerusalem
Nargiza Muratalieva — Associate Professor, the Department of International and Comparative Politics at the American University of Central Asia, Bishkek

Contact email: rc@jewish-museum.ru

Project Partners:

Program
03 March 2026
23 March 2026