A NUGSE PhD candidate Vanessa Ozawa invited as a guest lecturer to Karaganda Buketov University

A third-year-PhD candidate at NU GSE, Vanessa Ozawa, was invited to Karaganda Buketov University as a guest lecturer on May 16^th. Vanessa, who is a Research Assistant in the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) -funded Project, Political Economy of Education Research (PEER) Network Central Asian Hub led by Professor Naureen Durrani (PI), delivered a lecture on “Approaching Education in Central Asia through Political Economy Analysis” as part of the Project activities. The event was held at the Department of Foreign Languages, and diverse faculty members, including the head of the Department, lecturers and doctoral students, attended it. The lecture explored a range of inequalities and tensions in Central Asia through the critical approach of Political Economy Analysis of Education (PEA) and analysed the “double-edged” role of education in both creating and addressing multidimensional violence. Promoting social justice and sustainable peace, PEA, as an analytical tool, examines the relationship between education and broader societies as it contextualises educational processes by underlying light on political and economic structures. The Project aims to bring scholars together to address inequalities in Central Asia. This is being done through a broad local collaborative network and supporting the development of critical researchers through the PEA.