Author: Mathieu Lemoine 
Mathieu Lemoine
Written articles:
Minsk’s Eastern Bet: Why Central Asia Matters More Than Ever
As Uzbekistani President Shavkat Mirziyoyev prepares to travel to Minsk on 8-9 July, the visit is expected to produce another series of agreements on trade, industry… [...]
The Vocabulary of Reform: Why Central Asia Is Reimagining Its Political Traditions
From Kazakhstan’s Kurultai to Uzbekistan’s Mahalla, governments across Central Asia are increasingly framing political reform through institutions rooted in local history rather than imported political models. For much… [...]
Kazakhstan’s Next Elections: Between Reform and Managed Competition
Kazakhstan’s next parliamentary elections are unlikely to determine who governs the country. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s political dominance is not seriously in question. Yet the vote matters because it will… [...]
Money, boxes and absent men: the hidden economy reshaping Central Asia
At Central Asian airports, remittances do not always look like money. They can look like taped cardboard boxes arriving from Istanbul, oversized suitcases from Moscow, bags of clothes bought… [...]
Beyond the big clubs: the football map behind Uzbekistan’s World Cup dream
Uzbekistan’s first World Cup appearance is often told through the players who carried the national team there: Eldor Shomurodov, Abbosbek Fayzullaev, Abdukodir Khusanov, Oston Urunov and the rest of… [...]
Bunyodkor Tashkent: the prestige project that tried to put Uzbek football on the world map
Special series – The Clubs Behind Uzbekistan’s World Cup Dream As Uzbekistan plays in its first-ever FIFA World Cup after a historic qualification campaign, Novastan looks at the… [...]
Neftchi Fergana: the oil-workers’ club that dominated early Uzbek football
Special series – The Clubs Behind Uzbekistan’s World Cup Dream As Uzbekistan plays in its first-ever FIFA World Cup after a historic qualification campaign, Novastan looks at the… [...]
Navbahor Namangan: the Fergana Valley’s football heartbeat
Special series – The Clubs Behind Uzbekistan’s World Cup Dream As Uzbekistan plays in its first-ever FIFA World Cup after a historic qualification campaign, Novastan looks at the… [...]
Nasaf Qarshi: the club that put Uzbek football on Asia’s map
Special series – The Clubs Behind Uzbekistan’s World Cup Dream As Uzbekistan plays in its first-ever FIFA World Cup after a historic qualification campaign, Novastan looks at the clubs… [...]
Pakhtakor Tashkent: The Club That Carries Uzbek Football’s Memory
Special series – The Clubs Behind Uzbekistan’s World Cup Dream As Uzbekistan plays in its first-ever FIFA World Cup after a historic qualification campaign, Novastan looks at the clubs… [...]
Almira Saifullina: “The steppe is an archive of violence, memory and silence”
Documentary filmmaker and visual anthropologist Almira Saifullina explores how landscapes preserve traces of Soviet violence, forced displacement and family memory. In this interview with Novastan, she discusses her new… [...]
What lies beneath Central Asia? Rare earths, critical minerals and the new race for resources
Central Asia is often described as the next frontier in the global race for rare earths. The reality is both more promising and more complicated. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and their… [...]
Translated articles:
In Uzbekistan, one family wants to support the revival of wine production
Once known for its grapes, Uzbekistan saw many vineyards destroyed after the fall of the USSR. The Akhunov family is now helping revive the country’s wine culture. [...]
How Central Asia is trying to protect the snow leopard
From Kyrgyz volunteer rangers to strict penalties in Uzbekistan, Central Asia is stepping up efforts to protect the rare and emblematic snow leopard. [...]
Edited articles:
The Hidden Weight of Divorce in Kyrgyzstan: Why Its Social Consequences Remain Gendered
This article is published as part of a partnership between AUCA and Novastan, which brings graduate students’ academic work to a wider readership. Through this collaboration, Novastan aims to… [...]
“I only needed a passport” : In Ukraine, Central Asian prisoners of wars caught between loyalty and regret
Citizens from Central Asia now represent the largest group of foreign nationals fighting in the Russian army. Novastan spoke with several of them after their capture by Ukrainian forces. [...]
In Tajikistan, daughters-in-law face a hidden system of control
This article is published as part of a partnership between AUCA and Novastan, which brings graduate students’ academic work to a wider readership. Through this collaboration, Novastan aims to… [...]