New Monograph Announcement

 

Migration and Islam in Russia: Central Asian Migrants and the Transformation of Muslim Spaces in Moscow

by Rano Turaeva

This study is a compelling ethnographic journey into the lives of Central Asian migrants whose labour sustains Russian cities while their faith, mobility and belonging remain closely scrutinised. Drawing on long-term fieldwork, the book reveals how migrants navigate informal economies, police surveillance, racialised exclusion and everyday precarity, while Islam offers ethical orientation, community and survival strategies. It challenges simplistic views of migration, religion and integration by showing how state power, labour markets and moral worlds intersect in daily life. Essential reading for scholars, students and policy audiences interested in migration, Islam, Russia and post-Soviet societies today globally.

Brill: Social, Economic and Political Studies of the Middle East and Asia, Volume 139

Link: https://brill.com/display/title/73018

Publication date: November 2026.

Recent and upcoming events

 

CIAPRI co-organizes the International Academic Workshop “Entrepreneurship and Economic Change in Central Asia” to be held at Bukhara State University, Uzbekistan on 5–10 October 2026.

Rano Turaeva will present a paper “Modest markets: women’s digital entrepreneurship and moral economies on Instagram and Telegram in Uzbekistan” at the International Academic Workshop “Entrepreneurship and Economic Change in Central Asia”, Bukhara State University on 8 October 2026.

CIAPRI took part in fostering cooperation among young researchers from Central Asia and Europe via scholarly commentaries, discussion, and professional input at the Summer School “Social Cohesion & Public Policy in Central Asia and the Caucasus” held at TU Dortmund University and The Hague, 23–26 September 2026.

Irina Morozova participated in the discussion table “Transdisciplinary Integration in the Funding, Research, and University Landscape” at the Summer School “Social Cohesion & Public Policy in Central Asia and the Caucasus”, TU Dortmund University, 24 September 2026.

CIAPRI cooperates with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK Reutlingen), Institute for Emerging Markets and provided contextual input at the Workshop “Emerging Markets Bootcamp: Market Development in Southeast Asia and Central Asia” on 23 September 2026:

• Irina Morozova presented on “Current Political and Economic Developments in Central Asia and Their Significance for Businesses”
• Rano Turaeva presented on “Doing Business Successfully: Culture, Communication, and Business Practice in Central Asia”
• Irina Morozova & Rano Turaeva organized and moderated a discussion on “Market Entry Strategies for Central Asia”

CIAPRI participated in the work of Astana Finance Days 2026, 9–10 September 2026.

CIAPRI took part in the work of China Conference Central Asia 2026 in Astana on 7 September 2026.

Lectures and presentations by CIAPRI team

 

Rano Turaeva presents a paper “New Labour Market Dynamics: Gender and Platform-Based Mobility” at the Research forum for Evidence-based Policies on Skills and Migration, ETF, Brussels, on 10 June 2026.

Irina Morozova presents a paper “Behind the Disputes on Development: The Birth of Oil Monopolies in Late- and Post-Soviet Kazakhstan” at the Workshop “(Post)Extractivism and (Post)Industrialism in the (Post)Soviet Space” at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, on 1 June 2026.

Rano Turaeva presents a paper “Decolonising migration regimes through multiple imperialities: reflections from the post-Soviet space” at the International Workshop “A postsocialist lens to imperiality and coloniality” on 29 May 2026, ZiF Bielefeld.

Irina Morozova & Rano Turaeva present CIAPRI work to colleagues from the University of Regensburg and Tolon Museum (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) at the University of Regensburg on 26 May 2026.

Rano Turaeva presented her forthcoming book “Migration and Islam in Russia” at CNRS / École pratique des hautes études, Paris, on 12 May 2026.

Irina Morozova presented a lecture “Mapping, Assessment, and Forecasting: Soviet and Post-Soviet Data on Natural Resources and Development in Central Asia” at the Department for Modern History of Eastern Europe, Georg August University of Göttingen on 20 April 2026.

Rano Turaeva presented a paper “From Central Asia to Germany: Governance, Labour Pathways and the Emerging Dynamics of Uzbek Migration” at the MARS Mid-Term Conference “Migration and Mobilities in Non-Western Migration Locales”, Istanbul, Türkiye, on 16 April 2026.

Academic Leadership: CIAPRI Team Delivers Key Courses on Energy and Geopolitics

 

Summer Semester 2026 Building on our strategic research, PD Dr. habil. Irina Morozova continues her educational leadership at the University of Regensburg with a specialised course focusing on regional power dynamics:

• Course: “The Great Games: geopolitical and geoeconomic competition in modern and contemporary Central Asia”
• Institution: University of Regensburg
• Focus: This curriculum explores the historical and current power shifts in Central Asia, providing the academic backbone for CIAPRI’s Geopolitics & Economics research cluster.

Winter Semester 2025/2026 In the preceding term, PD Dr. habil. Irina Morozova delivered a comprehensive analysis of global energy markets:

• Course: “The history of the oil and gas sector in the 'Global South', Russia and OECD countries”
• Institution: University of Regensburg
• Impact: This research directly informs CIAPRI's work on Natural Resources & Climate, specifically regarding energy transition and resource security in the Caspian region.