Category: About us

Project people

Rachel Harris (Principal Investigator) Rachel Harris teaches at SOAS, University of London (www.soas.ac.uk/staff/staff31068.php) . Her research focuses on expressive culture, religious life, and the politics of heritage in China and Central Asia. Her co-edited volumes include Situating the Uyghurs: between China and Central Asia (Ashgate 2007) and she is the author of The Making of a Musical

Towards an alternative model of heritage as sustainable development: Uyghur meshrep in Kazakhstan

A collaborative research project supported by the British Academy Sustainable Development Fund Project partners:  SOAS, University of London, UKTuran University, Almaty, Kazakhstan  Our project focuses on meshrep: a system of community gatherings maintained by ethnic Uyghurs in southeast Kazakhstan. Meshrep involve music, dance, joking, readings, and an informal community court.  They forge lasting community bonds, support the