by Julita Slipkauskaitė, researcher from Vilnius University
I am Julita Slipkauskaitė. I am an assistant at the Faculty of Philosophy and a representative of Vilnius University in the MOCCA project. My research interests range from Late Medieval philosophy and the philosophy of history to conspiracy theories. It was the latter that led me to the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in early March 2024. Looking back, I can confidently say that this experience marked an excellent start to my academic career.
I arrived in Bishkek in early March and stayed until early May. I was warmly greeted by the newly appointed Director of the Academy Dr. Kate E Walker and Project and Training specialist Dr. Almakan Orozobekova at the OSCE Academy.
My first glimpse of Bishkek: OSCE’s promotion on one of the central streets.
I came to Bishkek with a research project in mind, suggested by my colleague and mentor on this project prof. Ainė Ramonaitė. Our initial aim was to explore a hypothesis proposed by Sinan Alper, which claims that people living in countries with higher levels of corruption are more prone to conspiracy ideation. Subsequently, we planned to examine the prevailing conspiracy theories and how their spread has evolved since the Covid-19 pandemic.
As we delved deeper into the literature and complexities of this topic, the connection between conspiratorial thinking and corruption became increasingly intriguing. On the one hand, the correlation between the two phenomena was clear; on the other hand, almost no causal explanation for this link has been proposed. Recognising this gap in the literature, we set out to address it. Unfortunately, the topic turned out to be too sensitive and practically unattainable for a foreigner. By the time our secondments ended, we had made a significant progress on the theoretical aspects of the research and had developed the research design. During our final presentation at the OSCE Academy we explained the empirical and conceptual connections between the two phenomena. However, the true challenge – conducting a comparative analysis between Lithuanians and Kyrgyz people – remains for future research.
At the OSCE Academy
Despite the research challenges, Kyrgyzstan was an exciting country to experience. From its nature, landscape and traditional culture to the dynamics of its major cities, every corner of the country amazed me. However, the highlight of my experience was meeting students and listening to their stories. Everyone I encountered in Kyrgyzstan – whether at the OSCE Academy, the Trekking Union of Kyrgyzstan, or Ala-Too International University, as well as young people I randomly met in the city – exhibited resilience, creativity, and a strong awareness of their role in shaping their country’s present and future. I was particularly impressed by their individual initiative to practice the Kyrgyz language vigorously and act as ambassadors of their country and culture. Finally, coming from a small country, I was surprised to find that frequently locals had some connection to Lithuania or knew a great deal about it. This always served as a great conversation starter.
OSCE Academy students celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, with performances.
Members of the Trekking Union of Kyrgyzstan.
I would like to thank the “MOCCA: Multilevel Orders of Corruption in Central Asia” project and the OSCE Academy in Bishkek for a secondment in Kyrgyzstan, which helped me set a foot in my field and deepen my understanding of Central Asia.