2024 Global Research Trips

In 2024, graduate students from across SGS' M.A. programs conducted fieldwork through Global Perspectives Awards, which are made possible through the generous support of Mr. Dapeng Zhu and Ms. Xiao Liu. Read a few highlights about their experiences abroad below. 

Understanding the political and economic factors that have shaped the structure of Kazakhstan's extractive industries

Grant Thieroff, Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies

During spring break of 2024, I had the unique privilege to travel to Astana and Almaty to explore my capstone research question: how had the wielding of political and economic power by Kazakhstan’s government shaped the contours of ownership structure in the country’s post-socialist extractives industries? While the Kazakhstani oil industry had attracted an influx of foreign investment into developing its lucrative Caspian Sea basin reserves in the years after its independence, control of the country’s vast mining industry had consolidated into the hands of a few Kazakh businessmen and state-owned enterprises. Through conversations with academics at KIMEP and the University of Central Asia, regionally-focused economists, and sectoral experts at the U.S. embassy, I gleaned a greater understanding of the historical and political dynamics that had shaped the industries’ development, including maintaining economic stability in centrally planned ‘monotowns’ and reclaiming removing influence from unsavory Russian investors in the mining industry. Thanks to the Global Perspectives Award and the support of CREEES, my observations from Kazakhstan significantly informed my thesis that Kazakhstan’s heavy-handed privatizations had followed a logic of sovereignty-maximization as Nursultan Nazarbayev sought to consolidate power for himself and his patronage network over his nearly three decades at the nation’s helm.

Exploring the historical and cultural identity of the Caucasus region

Nazrin Garibova, Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies

This research was a continuation of my previous work in the Caucasus Mountains in Azerbaijan, where mapping out hiking trails led to encounters with the vast and varied lifestyles and stories present within the mountains, both amongst nomadic societies and old settled villages.

The opportunity to revisit some of these historic settlements through the SGS Global Perspectives Award allowed me to explore some of my unanswered questions about the transhumance movements and the often-overlooked histories embedded deep within the mountains and on their highest ridges—stories that cannot be fully comprehended through traditional history textbooks or urban academic centers.

I visited Azerbaijan's northern mountain villages of Griz, Aniq, and Laza and was able to speak with local families (both elders and younger generations) about their understandings of their minority ethnic groups' historical trajectories and predictions of cultural transformation into the future. This additional exploration of theories related to the Grizlis' and Lezgis' language, minority nationalistic perspectives on historical events, and the stories behind ancient, unique traditions drove me to pursue these topics in greater depth for my final capstone thesis.

Understanding Japanese poet and author Nanao Sakaki

Adam Klein, East Asian Studies

Using the funding from the Global Perspectives Award, I visited Gulf of Maine Books in Brunswick, Maine, to converse with poet and publisher Gary Lawless about his experiences traveling with and publishing Nanao Sakaki, a Japanese poet and author. Gary, Nanao’s literary executor, shared many incredible Nanao stories, and it was very gratifying to see him reminisce about his close friend and mentor.

For my thesis, I intend to discuss Nanao's non-literary activities in addition to his poetry. I was drawn to Nanao because of my interest in ecocriticism and ecopoetry, but also because of the mystique surrounding this vagabond poet getting by with the generosity of his friends. Gary’s intimate experiences with Nanao elucidated some of the context of his poetry, and, most importantly, gave me insight into Nanao’s psyche and philosophy. I have multiple hours of interview audio covering a vast range of Nanao-related topics that I will sift through, which will be an indispensable resource for my prospective thesis.

Gary also told me about an archive of Nanao’s works and related material at UC Davis that he has been compiling. Gary’s knowledge of Nanao is astounding, but equally impressive was hearing about some of his experiences with American poet and essayist Gary Snyder. Gary Lawless “apprenticed” under Snyder in 1973, during which he met Nanao. In addition, Gary discussed the political philosophy of bioregionalism and watershed consciousness—a hot topic of discussion during his time at Snyder’s—to which many of Nanao’s poems correspond. As Gary said, “Nanao’s bioregion was the galaxy.”

The research I was able to accomplish in Brunswick has exceeded my expectations, and I look forward to synthesizing some of the information I gathered in Maine in the coming year as I begin writing my thesis.

Examining the preservation and erasure of collective memory in El Salvador

Lola Amaya, Latin American Studies

My research activities included visiting museums and educational centers in El Salvador and examining the ways in which collective memory of Salvadoran history is publicly preserved, or otherwise erased. Throughout my life and academic experience, I have been exposed to two very different sides of El Salvador: that which is recognized in culture and daily life, and that which is generally the center of academic studies. I decided to pursue this research in an effort to reconcile the disconnect between the understanding of daily life in El Salvador against the largely unspoken traumatic and violent history of the country that is still very fresh in the lives of many.

Visiting museums and gaining a deeper understanding of Salvadoran history, I was also exposed to the deep tensions between state and non-state actors when it comes to truth telling and knowledge production. I had the great fortune of my trip to El Mueso de la Palabra y Imagen, a non-state actor, coinciding with a workshop the museum held on educating mental health professionals on the history of Salvadoran civil war and consequences on ex-combatants. Speaking with the individuals who participated in the workshop and seeing their own eagerness to learn about and discuss their country's history in a safe space of reflection was an incredibly profound intersection of the desire and struggle to cultivate and preserve a collective memory that the state may otherwise erase.

Without the opportunity to have been on the ground and build connections … I would not have been able to see for myself that the desire to reconcile the disconnect between daily life in El Salvador against its violent history is not only my own goal but a broader goal for many Salvadorans who understand the importance of recognizing and preserving the truth, and the role this plays in the present day.