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New Books in Central Asian Studies

Marshall Poe
Central Asia
Soviet Union
Eurasian Nomadic Societies
Kazakhstan
Nuclear History
Xiongnu
Afghanistan
Nomadic Empires
Soviet Central Television
Partition Of India
Russia
Animal Style Imagery
Collectivization
Soviet Atheism
Russian Empire
Chernobyl
Ukraine
Han Dynasty
Archaeology
Television Programming

This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to ... more

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Artwork for New Books in Central Asian Studies

Latest Episodes

Winston Churchill famously called Russia "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." But what if the riddle is partly of our own making—the product of a habit of looking only west for answers? Michael Khodarkovsky today argues that to underst... more

What is Russia? For two centuries, observers inside and outside the country have tried to answer that question, and most of them have looked west. The familiar story holds that Peter the Great pulled a backward Muscovy toward Europe and that Catherin... more

Thomas Gregory is Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His new book, Weaponizing Civilian Protection (Oxford UP, 2025), exposes how coalition efforts to minimize and mitigate civilia... more

John Ross speaks with Scott Forbes Crawford about his book The Han-Xiongnu War, 133 BC–89 AD (Pen & Sword Military, 2024) For more than two centuries, Han China fought a bitter struggle against the Xiongnu, a powerful confederation of horse-riding ... more

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Recent Guests

Scott Forbes Crawford
Author of Han-Xiongnu War book; historian
Author
Episode: Whistling Arrows and Heavenly Horses: The Han-Xiongnu War
Michael Aldrich
Author of Old Lhasa, A Biography; scholar on Asian religious cities
Camphor Press (original publication); Speaking Tiger Books (epilogue/edition)
Episode: Old Lhasa: A Biography of a Sacred City
Ryan Michael Schweitzer
Author of Homosexuality in Central Asia, Stories of Hardship and Hope
Barnes & Noble Press
Episode: Ryan Schweitzer, "Homosexuality in Central Asia: Stories of Hardship and Hope" (B&N Press, 2026)
Luca Anceschi
Professor in Eurasian Studies and Department Head of Central and East European Studies at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
Episode: Luca Anceschi, "Pandemic Politics in Central Asia: Authoritarian Contagion" (Routledge, 2026)
Magdalena Stawkowski
Author of Atomic Collective: Radioactive Life in Kazakhstan
University of South Carolina
Episode: Magdalena E. Stawkowski, "Atomic Collective: Radioactive Life in Kazakhstan" (U Toronto Press, 2025)
Nabi Sahak
Author of the book being discussed; former BBC reporter and Fulbright scholar
Palgrave Macmillan; Author of Anglo-Afghan Power and Politics, 1893–1947: The Durand Line Unmasked
Episode: Nabi Sahak, "Anglo-Afghan Power and Politics, 1893–1947: The Durand Line Unmasked" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025)
Galina Bogatova
Political scientist and author
Palgrave Macmillan (author of Casting War As Love)
Episode: Galina Bogatova, "Casting War As Love: Russian Colonialism in Familial Terms" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2026)
Dr. Kudaibergen
Lecturer in Central Asian Politics and Society at University College London
University College London (UCL)
Episode: Diana T. Kudaibergen, "What Does It Mean to Be Kazakhstani?: Power, Identity and Nation-Building" (Oxford UP, 2024)
Matthew Gray
Senior Advisor to the United Nations
United Nations
Episode: Chinese EVs: From Nordic Streets to Central Asian Hubs

Hosts

Miranda Melcher
Host of The New Books Network
Nicholas Gordon
Host of The Asian Review of Books podcast (New Books Network partner)

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 26 ratings
  • Excellent. Listening from Brooklyn.

    Thanks. Good job.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Bakhtiyor Kuliev
    United States6 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Great for researchers seeking nuanced regional insights.
Thoughtful, rigorous interviews that unpack complex topics.
High-quality guests and well-prepared hosts.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Old Lhasa: A Biography of a Sacred City
Q: Why a biography? Why not a history?
To visualize the city as a character and tell its story in a more intimate, accessible way, bridging scholarly depth with a friend-to-friend narrative.
Nabi Sahak, "Anglo-Afghan Power and Politics, 1893–1947: The Durand Line Unmasked" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025)
Q: If the Durand mission was about securing a buffer against Russia, how did it end up becoming a border that defines Afghan-Pakistani relations today? And what was the British policy toward Afghanistan after Amir Abdur Rahman Khan?
The guest outlines how British diplomacy, subsidies, and political pressure leaned on Afghan rulers to formalize foreign relations while avoiding explicit, durable border language; subsequent renewals repeatedly reference earlier texts and avoid clearly defining a boundary, which preserves ambiguity and allows ongoing interpretation.
Ryan Schweitzer, "Homosexuality in Central Asia: Stories of Hardship and Hope" (B&N Press, 2026)
Q: What impact do you hope these stories have on readers outside Central Asia?
I hope readers develop empathy and recognize shared human goals—safety, dignity, and belonging—without needing to fully understand the region, and that the narratives encourage more informed scholarship and support for grassroots organizations working under difficult conditions.
Ryan Schweitzer, "Homosexuality in Central Asia: Stories of Hardship and Hope" (B&N Press, 2026)
Q: How did you navigate ethical concerns about privacy and safety for interviewees?
I deliberately used non-identifying details, mixed first and third-person narration, and obtained ongoing consent, with careful planning around how stories would be presented to minimize exposure. The second edition expanded and refined protections while still honoring the voices shared.
David Leupold, "The Death and Life of Southern Soviet Cities: Urban Futures and Their Afterlives" (Routledge, 2026)
Q: What were the biggest methodological challenges you faced researching these cities?
The main challenges were learning seismic engineering and urban planning concepts to understand resilience, gaining trust in Bishkek as a newcomer, and balancing archival work with oral histories and multilingual sources from Czechia, Slovakia, and Central Asia.

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Frequently Asked Questions About New Books in Central Asian Studies

What is New Books in Central Asian Studies about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Thoughtful interviews with scholars and authors focusing on Central Asia, history, and regional politics. Conversations often center on methodological challenges, archival sources, and how local life intersects with broader power dynamics, including state policy, memory, and identity. Noteworthy is the strong emphasis on primary sources and fieldwork in restricted-access contexts, plus a recurring interest in how global actors shape regional trajectories. This mix makes it appealing to researchers, graduate students, and policy-minded listeners who want rigorous, context-rich analysis from a humanities and social sciences perspective.

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1. Russian Roulette
2. Spotlight on Central Asia
3. In Moscow's Shadows
4. ChinaPower
5. The Lawfare Podcast

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New Books in Central Asian Studies launched 12 years ago and published 202 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on New Books in Central Asian Studies?

Recent guests on New Books in Central Asian Studies include:

1. Scott Forbes Crawford
2. Michael Aldrich
3. Ryan Michael Schweitzer
4. Luca Anceschi
5. Magdalena Stawkowski
6. Nabi Sahak
7. Galina Bogatova
8. Dr. Kudaibergen

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