Central Asian studies is the discipline of studying the culture, history, and languages of the region of Central Asia. The roots of Central Asian studies as a social science discipline goes to 19th century Anglo-Russian Great Game. During the 19th century, Central Asia became a subject of systematical information collection and organization thanks to the numerous travels made by British and Russian agents, soldiers, scholars into the region. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, interest in the field increased considerably. Central Asian studies in contemporary times is represented by a plethora of prominent scholars, institutions and academic programs throughout the world.
The roots of Central Asian studies as a social science discipline goes to 19th century Anglo-Russian Great Game. During the 19th century, Central Asia became a subject of systematical information collection and organization thanks to the numerous travels made by British and Russian agents, soldiers, scholars into the region. The British Royal Geographical Society and Russian Geographical Society published dozens of travel books on the region.
The late 19th century Russian Orientalist Vasilii Vladimirovich Bartold is credited as the founder of the modern study of Central Asian history.[1]
The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 led to an increased interest in the study of Central Asia.[2]
Contemporary Central Asian studies have been developed by pioneers such as Nicholas Poppe, Denis Sinor, Ilse Laude-Cirtautas, Alexandre Bennigsen, Edward Allworth, Yuri Bregel and Hasan Bulent Paksoy among others. Several American research universities have programs on Central Asia. The Mongolian and Altaic Studies Program within the Far Eastern and Russian Institute at the University of Washington (UW), established under Poppe's direction in 1949, became an early prototype of Central Asian Studies. The Central Asian Studies Program, later formed by Cirtautas in 1968 at the UW, and the Department of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University have been the leading research and teaching programs. Many scholars involved in Central Asia studies belong to the Central Eurasian Studies Society. There are many prominent global think tanks and research organizations from the United States, the United Kingdom, India, China, Germany, and from the region itself, who are focused on Central Asian studies. These include the Cambridge Central Asia Forum, Harriman Institute, Central Asia Program, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, Tillotoma Foundation etc.
One of the oldest sources for Central Asia are the memoirs of travelers who passed through Central Asia. Some of the earliest extant examples were left by Arab geographers who passed through the region. In the 19th centuries numerous Europe and American published their travelogues of Central Asia. This includes American journalist Anna Louise Strong who passed through Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in the 1920s.