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The al-Farabi Kazakh National University hosted the online winter school "Intellectual History of Modern Central and South Asia". The school was organized by the Department of the Middle East and South Asia of KazNU as part of the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals – quality education and partnership to achieve the goals.

The event also became part of the cooperation with the National University of Modern Languages (NUML, Islamabad), stipulated in the memorandum of 2025.

The purpose of the school is to study the key ideas and approaches of intellectual history, to trace the evolution of thoughts, literary and folklore traditions in Kazakhstan and Pakistan. The participants discussed how philosophical approaches and modern methods of analysis help to understand historical and literary sources. Attention was also paid to the concepts of the "third space" and nomadology, which help to study cultural interaction and ties between countries.

During the classes, students and young scientists got acquainted with the intellectual traditions of the Pashtuns, their literary, religious and folklore heritage, studied social and philosophical ideas in modern Urdu poetry, the influence of Soviet and foreign studies on the scientific views and geopolitics of Central Asia, as well as the role of literature in the search for cultural identity.

The school was attended by 40 undergraduates, doctoral students and young teachers from Kazakhstan and Pakistan studying in the programs of Oriental studies, philology, political science and international relations. They could not only listen to lectures, but also actively discuss the material with the teachers.

Lectures were given by leading scientists from Kazakhstan and Pakistan:  G.E.Nadirova, Professor at KazNU, on methods of studying intellectual history; L.G.Yerekesheva, research Professor at KazNU, on the concept of the "third space" and nomadology; Shabir Ahmad Khan, professor at the University of Peshawar, on the intellectual history of the Pashtuns; N.D.Zharbosynova, doctoral student at KazNU, on the modern historiographical analysis of the Pashtuns; A.M.Muratbekova, Senior Researcher at the Kh.A. Moscow State Technical University.Yasavi, on the impact of Soviet research on the region.

According to the participants, the school has helped to strengthen international cooperation, expand academic dialogue and develop the professional skills of young researchers.

Press-service of 91��ý Kazakh National University