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<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Panel - Central
Asian Studies in light of Imperialism: A Neo-Orientalist Approach within
Western Academia</span></font></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The 2007 CESS conference
at the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType>
of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Washington</st1:State></st1:PlaceName></st1:place>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>October 18-21, 2007 in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Seattle</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Washington</st1:State></st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><a
href="http://cess.fas.harvard.edu/CESS_Conference.html">http://cess.fas.harvard.edu/CESS_Conference.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Dear all, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> We are in the
process of organizing a panel entitled: <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Central
Asian Studies in light of Imperialism: A Neo-Orientalist Approach within
Western Academia</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>In the work, <i><span
style='font-style:italic'>Orientalism</span></i>, Edward W. Said elaborates on
the idea behind Middle Eastern studies in Western academia. Said is interested
in questioning the discourse of Orientalists, and furthermore, claims that the actual
purpose of Middle Eastern Studies is not academic, but rather a policy-oriented
approach that facilitates imperialism and colonialism. In this context Said
argues that Europeans referred to the Eastern world as the ‘Orient’,
a term that has only a vague meaning. Today, the region historically known as Turkistan
has similarly been renamed ‘<st1:place w:st="on">Central Asia</st1:place>’
in the context of the Neo-Orientalist process in policy oriented academia. In
this field, some of the so-called “scholars,” working with policy-based
institutions such as think-tanks, governmental and “non governmental”
entities are the forefront of this approach, within the framework of
imperialism and exploitation. These institutions, including think-tanks and
non-governmental interest groups operate as a bridge between academia and the
policy-oriented world. Additionally, academia has become a facilitator of an exploitative
process towards <st1:place w:st="on">Turkistan</st1:place>. The same process
has been observed in Middle Eastern Studies for over a half century. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Today, the best example
of this Neo-Orientalist or Colonialist approach can be found within the discipline
of Central Asian studies within the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place>, and its relation with think-tanks,
governmental, and non-governmental organizations. Thus, academia has been
losing its objectivity, transforming from C. Wright Mills’ conception of the
sociological imagination, to a facilitator of imperialism. This is occurring
through its implicit representation of political interests. We can see this
destructive trend taking place within Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, and
Turkmen studies. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>We welcome submissions
related to Neo-Orientalism and Central Asian Studies, and also including the
following:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc>
<li class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Neo-Orientalism
and Central Asian Studies, <o:p></o:p></span></font></li>
<li class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Imperialism,
think-tanks and <st1:place w:st="on">Central Asia</st1:place>, <o:p></o:p></span></font></li>
<li class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Role of SOROS,
NDI, the <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Woodrow</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Wilson</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceName>,
Carnegie Endowment and <st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region>
<st1:City w:st="on">Helsinki</st1:City> Commission on <st1:place w:st="on">Central
Asia</st1:place>, <o:p></o:p></span></font></li>
<li class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Colorful revolutions
and imperialism/exploitation of the market, <o:p></o:p></span></font></li>
<li class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Sultan Galiev
and Imperialism in <st1:place w:st="on">Turkistan</st1:place> <o:p></o:p></span></font></li>
</ul>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Deadline: APRIL 3, 2007<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Please send abstract to: <a
href="mailto:tugrulk@vt.edu">tugrulk@vt.edu</a> or <a
href="mailto:rhaija@vt.edu">rhaija@vt.edu</a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Tugrul Keskin<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Rammy Haija<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Virginia Polytechnic Institute and <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Department of Sociology <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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