Learning in, about and from the field? Symbolic functions of EU knowledge production on Central Asia

Central Asian Survey. 2022. Vol. 41. No. 4. P. 654–674.

Корнеев О. В., Kluczewska K.

Examining the European Union's (EU) engagement with Central Asia since the early 1990s, we see an increased  commitment to context sensitivity. Arguably, in order to design ‘better’ interventions, the EU needs to know more about this region. This article explores three means of EU learning: in the field – through EU officials’ first-hand experience of working at EU Delegations in Central Asia; about the field – through programmed channels of external  expert knowledge, and in particular think tanks; and from the field – during institutionalised consultations with multiple local actors, such as academics, journalists and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). It is argued that despite this complex learning infrastructure, EU knowledge production on Central Asia has a predominantly performative  character. Rather than leading to changes in its relations with Central Asia, new knowledge produced by the EU aims at legitimising this organisation’s pre-existing frameworks of engagement and practices of interactions with the region, and substantiating existing policy priorities.

Ключевые слова: Европейский Союз, экспертиза, Центральная Азия, обучение, European Union, Central Asia, expertise, легитимация, legitimation, knowledge production, производство знаний, Learning, local turn, practice turn, локальный поворот, практический поворот