Associate Professor of History Shoshana Keller recently returned from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where she participated in the "Bishkek Summer Institute on Teaching Islam in Eurasia" from June 24 to July 7 at the American University of Central Asia. This was an intensive program for secular and religious faculty from across the former Soviet Union on the study and teaching of Islam. The event was sponsored by the Social Science Research Council and the Open Society Institute. Keller presented a lecture titled "The Soviet Suppression of Islam in Central Asia: Destruction and Survival" and led a four-day workshop for junior faculty from universities in Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The focus of the workshop was on helping them develop ideas, resources and pedagogical techniques for new courses on the history of Islam in Eurasia. The teaching languages were Russian and English.
The Open Society Institute (OSI), of which George Soros is chairman, funded this institute. OSI is a private operating and grant making foundation that aims to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights and economic, legal, and social reform.
