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Biography

Dr Aijan Sharshenova joined IGSD in February 2024 as a Research Fellow working on the Horizon Europe project SHAPEDEM-EU 鈥楻ethinking and Reshaping the EU鈥檚 Democracy Support in its Eastern and Southern Neighbourhood鈥�. Aijan鈥檚 research interests include democracy promotion, autocracy diffusion, foreign policy and soft power. She holds two Masters in the EU and Central Asian Studies and in International Studies, and a PhD in Politics from the University of Leeds. She authored a book on the in Central Asia and co-edited a recent book on in research.

In addition to her academic career, Dr. Sharshenova has worked on promoting sustainable development goals in the international development area, including within the UN system in the Middle East.

Recent publications

BOOKS

- Dall鈥橝gnola, J. and Sharshenova, A. (eds) 2023. Researching Central Asia: Navigating positionality in the field, Springer Briefs in Political Science series, available at

- Sharshenova, A. 2018. The European Union鈥檚 democracy promotion in Central Asia, Columbia University Press & Ibidem Verlag, available at

JOURNAL ARTICLES

- Sharshenova, A. & Pierobon, C. 2023. 鈥楪erman and Russian public diplomacy in Kyrgyzstan鈥�, Europe-Asia Studies Journal, 75(8), pp. 1384-1407, available at

- Adambussinova, Z. and Sharshenova, A. 2023. 鈥楳esta pamyati postsovetskoi nostalgii v sovermennom Bishkeke鈥� (Memory sites of post-Soviet nostalgia in contemporary Bishkek 鈥� in Russian), Nemonomif interdisciplinary decolonial journal, no.4, pp.4-14, available at

- Sharshenova, A. & Crawford, G. 2017. 鈥楿ndermining Western democracy promotion in Central Asia: China鈥檚 countervailing influences, powers and impact鈥�, Central Asian Survey, vol.36, no.4, pp. 453-472, available at https://doi.org/10.1080/02634937.2017.1372364

BOOK CHAPTERS

- Sharshenova, A. 2024 (forthcoming). 鈥楶olity diffusion and regime security in Central Asia鈥� in Elmuradov, A. and Borschelt Camelo, M.S. (eds) Shifting Security and Power Constellations in Central Asia, Nomos

- Sharshenova, A. 2022. 鈥楨volution of governance in the Kyrgyz Republic: Thirty years in transition鈥�, in Amarasinghe, P. & Leontiev, L. (eds) Thirty years looking back: State building, rule of law and human rights in the post-Soviet space, Routledge, available at

- Sharshenova, A. 2016. 鈥楾he European Union鈥檚 assistance to Kyrgyzstan: Good intentions, mixed results鈥� in Axyonova, V. (ed.) European Engagement under Review: Promoting Values and Standards in the Post-Soviet Space, Columbia University Press & Ibidem Verlag

POLICY BRIEFS AND REPORTS

- Sabyrbekov, R., Sulaimanova, B., and Sharshenova, A. 2024. Digitalization and decarbonization in Central Asia. Open access publication funded by CAREC Think Tanks Network鈥檚 grant, available at https://www.carecinstitute.org/publications/new-report-highlights-opportunities-and-challenges-of-digitalization-of-infrastructure-and-decarbonization-in-central-asia/

- Sharshenova, A., Nabiyeva, K., and Schiek, S. (eds) 2024. Living labs and sustainability in Germany and Central Asia. Open access publication funded the German Federal Foreign Office and the German Academic Exchange Service, available at

- Sharshenova, A. 2023. 鈥楿nderstanding Russia鈥檚 Central Asia policy鈥�, Crossroads Central Asia think tank,

- Sharshenova A. 2023. 鈥楾he impact of the war in Ukraine on the BRICS: Six takeaways form an expert discussion鈥�, Foreign Policy Centre think tank, available at

- Sharshenova, A. 2023. 鈥榃alking a fine line 鈥� Kyrgyzstan鈥檚 foreign policy post-2022鈥�, European Neighbourhood Council think tank, available at

- Sharshenova, A., Schiek, S., Tskhay, A., and Dzhuraev, Sh. 2023. Central Asia Forecasting 2023: Results from an expert survey. OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and IGPT Berlin, open access publication funded by Friedrich Ebert Foundation, available at