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

Ch. 3. P. 38–58.

Korneev O., 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
chapter 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 institutionalized consultations with
multiple local actors, such as academics, journalists and nongovernmental
organizations. 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 legitimizing this
organization’s pre-existing frameworks of engagement and
practices of interactions with the region, and substantiating
existing policy priorities.

Keywords: обучение, European Union, learning, легитимация, legitimation, knowledge production, производство знаний, local turn, локальный поворот, практический поворот в международных отношениях, practice turn in International Relations, Европейский союз

In book

EU–Central Asian Interactions: Perceptions, Interests and Practices

Arynov Z., Bossuyt F., Davletova N., Dzhuraev S., Fawn R., Gawrich A., Hanova S., Hou P., Kluczewska K., Krivokhizh S., Moisé G. M., Pierobon C., Russo A., Soboleva E., Sorbello P. Abingdon: Routledge, 2024.