Why Human Rights Research Needs Practitioners and Why Activists Need Academia

The Moynihan Institute’s Central Asia and the Caucasus Initiative welcomes Dana Buralkiyeva (Malikova), human rights and democracy professional, Fullbright fellow from Kazakhstan, and Ph.D. student in political science at Binghamton University SUNY. 

This talk explores the value of bridging human rights practice and academic research. Drawing on experience working with civil society organizations and human rights initiatives in Kazakhstan, as well as graduate research in political science in the United States, Dana Buralkiyeva examines how practitioners can strengthen academic knowledge with real-world insights, while research can provide activists with stronger evidence, analytical tools and more effective strategies for advocacy.

The session will reflect on the opportunities and challenges of moving between these two worlds and discuss why closer collaboration between academia and practice is essential for advancing human rights and democratic governance.

Lunch will be provided.

This event is co-sponsored by the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC).