From Policy Design to Lived Experiences: Developing University Research Capacity in Tajikistan Since 1991

Abstract

The chapter traces the development of university research capacity in Tajikistan in the three decades since independence, drawing on policy document analysis, literature by Tajik academics, and new primary source interviews with researchers working in Tajikistani higher education in the 2010s and early 2020s. Sabzalieva demonstrates that a research mission has not yet been internalized in Tajikistan’s universities although the government and universities have adopted the language of research, provided guidance to academics on doing research, and given academics scope to set a research agenda and take up opportunities to do research. The development of a research mission in universities is further constrained by the heavily politicized and increasingly authoritarian environment that characterizes the contemporary education and research system in Tajikistan.