India–Central Asia Relations: Pathways of Education, Science, and Culture in the 21st Century

Abstract

This study investigates the evolving contours of cultural and humanitarian relations between India and the Central Asian republics—Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan—over the period 2000–2025, with particular attention to educational, scientific, and cultural initiatives. Employing contextual and comparative analyses of official statistics, academic programmes, grants, and international agreements, the research delineates the principal trajectories of cooperation.

Education emerges as the most dynamic sphere of engagement, evidenced by the exponential rise in academic mobility: more than 17,400 Indian students are currently enrolled in Kyrgyzstan, over 9,500 in Kazakhstan, and approximately 1,200 in Tajikistan. This surge is driven by affordable tuition (USD 1,500–6,000) and the accessibility of English-medium medical programmes. Bilateral exchange schemes further consolidate the foundations of a sustainable academic infrastructure.

Scientific collaboration, though uneven, reveals a differentiated profile: Tajikistan privileges the humanities, natural sciences, and astronomy; Uzbekistan advances technological and digital innovation; Turkmenistan focuses on pharmaceuticals; while Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan display limited dynamism. Cultural interaction is most visible in large-scale Indian festivals—such as Holi in Almaty, Tashkent, and Bishkek—the dissemination of Indian cinema, and ICCR-supported initiatives in yoga and spiritual practices.

Theoretically, the findings are illuminated through Neorealism and Constructivism. Neorealism interprets India’s initiatives as strategic manoeuvres designed to soft-balance China’s expanding material presence, whereas Constructivism underscores India’s mobilisation of shared identities and humanitarian gestures, notably COVID-19 assistance, as instruments of normative influence. By linking immediate crisis relief to broader geopolitical objectives, India advances an alternative model of cooperation predicated upon respect for local cultures, openness, and knowledge exchange, thereby cultivating enduring diplomatic outcomes.

Keywords

Cultural Exchange, Educational Initiatives, Scientific Cooperation, Intercultural Relations, interregional relations, Innovative Research, India, Central Asia

Author Biography

Lazat Nursultanova

Lazat Nursultanova is a Professor and Full Doctor affiliated with the School of Arts and Humanities at Astana International University. Trained as a historian, she graduated from the Faculty of History of the Abai Kazakh Pedagogical Institute in 1981 and later worked as a professor of social, humanitarian, and general education disciplines at the Kazakh Engineering and Technical Academy. Her stated research field is historical sciences. She has supervised a Candidate of Historical Sciences and has an extensive publication record of approximately 170 works. The profile provided includes 17 monographs, two textbooks, numerous articles in recognised national scholarly outlets, publications in international conference collections and journals, and several works indexed in Scopus. Her career combines historical research, teaching, and academic mentorship.

Gulnara Suleimenova

Gulnara Suleimenova is an Associate Professor at the School of Arts and Humanities, Astana International University. She holds a Candidate of Historical Sciences degree, awarded in 2000, and was educated at Farabi University. Her research interests include cultural processes in the history of Kazakhstan, the history of Asia and Africa, and cultural developments in Western Europe. She was among the authors of an early university curriculum in cultural studies in Kazakhstan in 1992–1993. Her academic service has included participation in a dissertation council, work on a national doctoral entrance examination commission, and membership in a dissertation council for master’s and doctoral defences. Her teaching profile covers local history, medieval history, and modern and contemporary world history.

Kunduzai Yerimbetova

Kunduzai Yerimbetova is an Associate Professor and Candidate of Historical Sciences at the School of Arts and Humanities, Astana International University. She was educated at Farabi University as a historian and teacher of history and social studies. Her research addresses the history of Kazakhstan, migration and demographic processes, statehood, political institutions, historical memory, and the consequences of political repression. Her publication record includes studies of population migration, repatriation, historical demography, Central Asian security, and Kazakhstan’s international relations, as well as contributions to textbooks, collective monographs, and conference volumes. She has participated in national research projects on the formation of modern historical science and the evolution of political institutions, and in initiatives concerned with restoring historical justice for victims of political repression.

Alma Kassymova

Alma Kassymova holds a PhD and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Art History and Art Management at the Kazakh National Academy of Choreography in Astana. Her current appointment brings together art-historical and arts-management perspectives within a specialised higher-education institution. As reflected in the affiliation information supplied, her professional profile is associated with the academic study of art and with the organisational dimensions of cultural activity. She contributes to an educational setting devoted to the arts and to the preparation of specialists working in cultural and performing-arts contexts. The source information identifies her principal expertise through this departmental and institutional role.

Kulyan Nursultanova

Kulyan Nursultanova is a Candidate of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor, and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Management at Atyrau University named after Khalel Dosmukhamedov. Before entering university teaching, she held analytical, managerial, financial, and cost-control positions across Kazakhstan’s oil and gas sector and public economic administration. Since 2019, she has worked in higher education, with research interests in regional and sectoral economics. She has participated in research on the economic aspects of Kazakhstan’s WTO membership and co-authored a 2025 scholarly article. Her teaching includes economic theory, macroeconomics, project and strategic management, organisational behaviour, HR management, coaching, and related subjects.

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