Visiting Historian Engages NU in Collaborative Research on the Aral Sea
Nazarbayev University’s (NU) School of Public Policy hosted Associate Professor Sarah Cameron, a historian from the University of Maryland, College Park, for a lecture titled “Elusive Water: The Life and Death of Central Asia’s Aral Sea.”
The event was opened by Dina Sharipova, Associate Professor and Vice Dean for Research at the School of Public Policy, who emphasized the value of connecting international scholarship with Central Asia’s most pressing policy and environmental debates.
Professor Cameron, a historian of Russia and the Soviet Union, specializes in genocide and crimes against humanity, environmental history, and the societies and cultures of Central Asia. Her current book project, still in progress, examines the causes and consequences of the Aral Sea’s disappearance as one of the world’s greatest environmental catastrophes.
At NU, she underscored the interdisciplinary nature of studying the Aral Sea and, importantly, invited participants to contribute to her ongoing work. “This project is still in progress,” she told the audience, “and I particularly welcome your advice, input, objections, and criticisms. They will help me improve the book and enrich its perspectives.”
Prof. Cameron challenged conventional narratives that often portray the local populations around the Aral Sea as passive victims of climate change. “If we take a closer look at the history of people who live around the sea, we certainly see accounts of loss and sorrow, but I argue we also see something very different too – stories of energy, adaptation, and hope,” she noted.
Her lecture transformed the lecture into a collaborative dialogue, with NU students and faculty offering reflections from diverse disciplinary perspectives – ranging from environmental studies and history to policy and regional development.
“It is rare to see scholarship in motion,” noted Dina Sharipova. “By engaging our academic community in her research, Professor Cameron gave our students not only knowledge but also a sense of ownership in shaping how the story of the Aral Sea will be told.”
By hosting international scholars at formative stages of their projects, NU strengthens its role as a hub for interdisciplinary dialogue, providing a platform where global and regional perspectives meet to address shared challenges.
Photo: Adriane Lochner
