Saipira Sarah FURSTENBERG

Education

• 2017: PhD in Political Science, University of Bremen, Germany.
• 2011: MA International Security, University of Warwick, UK.
• 2010: BA Hons European Economy and Management, Abertay University,UK.
• 2008: BA Marketing and Management, EPHEC, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium.

Academic positions

• 06/2022-to present: Marie Curie Cofund Fellow, Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy.
• 07/2021-05/2022:   Postdoctoral Fellow,Politics Department,University of Portsmouth,UK.
• 01/2021-05/2021:   Research Consultant, University of Oxford (School of Geography) and the University of Central Asia (Bishkek).
• 01/2020-11/2020:   Research Associate, Department of Politics, University of Exeter, UK.
• 09/2018-06/2019:   Lecturer in Politics, Department of Social Sciences, University of Oxford Brookes, UK.
• 04/2017-09/2018:   Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Politics, University of Exeter, UK.
• 04/2017-05/2018:   Teaching Assistant, Department of Politics, University of Exeter, UK. 

Grants

• Marie Curie Cofund Fellow, European Commission Horizon 2020, 2022- to date (€120,000).
• Workshop Grant ESRC IAA –GCRF NGO University of Exeter, UK 2018 (£7000).
• Open Society Foundations Grant, University of Exeter, UK 2017-2018 ($60,000).
• Marie Curie Early-Stage Researcher, European Commission Fellowship Grant, 2013-2017 (€120, 000).

Publications

Peer-reviewed articles

• Dukalskis, Alexander, Furstenberg, S., Hellmeier, Sebastian, Scales, Redmond. (2023). “The Iron Fist and the Long Arm:Authoritarian Crackdowns and Transnational Repression”. Journal of Conflict Resolution.
• Alexander Dukalskis, Saipira Furstenberg, Yana, Gorokhovskaia , John Heathershaw, Edward Lemon, Nate Schenkkan. 2022. "Transnational Repression:  Data Advances, Comparisons, and Challenges".  Political Research Exchange, 4(1). 
• Saipira Furstenberg, Janyl Moldalieva. 2022. “Critical reflection on the EITI in Kyrgyzstan: explaining the failure of transparency implementation in resource governance”. World Development Journal, Vol 154 (105880),pp.1-11.
• Tena Prelect, Saipira Furstenberg, John Heathershaw, Catarina Thomson. 2022. “Academic Freedom and Internationalisation in Higher Education”. The International Journal of Human Rights,pp.1-25.
• Saipira Furstenberg, Edward Lemon, John Heathershaw, 2021. “Spatialising state practices through transnational repression”. European Journal of International Security, pp. 1-21.
• Saipira Furstenberg, 2018. “State responses to reputational concerns: the case of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, in Kazakhstan.” Central Asian Survey, Vol. 1, Issue 37, pp.1-19.
• Saipira Furstenberg, 2015. “Consolidating global governance in nondemocratic countries: Critical reflections on the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Kyrgyzstan. “The Extractive Industries and Society Journal, Vol. 2, Issue 3, pp. 462-471.

Books

• Dana Moss, Saipira Furstenberg. 2024 (eds). Transnational Repression in the Age of Globalsiation. Edinburgh University Press.

Book chapters

• Saipira Furstenberg. 2021.Understanding mining environment in Kyrgyzstan, field notes. in Mining lifecycles in Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia, Book Editors: Troy Sternberg, Kemel Toktomushev, Byamba Ichinkhorloo. Publisher: Routledge (2021).

Policy reports

• Saipira Furstenberg and Kemel Toktomushev. 2021. “Understanding gold mining and social conflicts in Kyrgyzstan.” University of Central Asia – Institute of Public Policy and Administration (IPPA) Working Paper N° 63, pp. 1-22.
• Saipira Furstenberg, Tena Prelec and John Heathershaw, 2021. “The internationalisation of universities and the repression of academic freedom”, in Freedom House, Perspectives on Transnational Repression in an Age of Globalization. (Freedom House).
• Saipira Furstenberg and Gulzat Botoeva, 2020. “Political unrest in Kyrgyzstan: between old and new hopes”. (The Foreign Policy Centre).
• Saipira Furstenberg, 2019. “The state of Islamic threat in Central Asia: assessing the threat of terrorism from Central Asia”. (Foreign Policy Centre).
• Edward Lemon, Saipira Furstenberg, John Heathershaw, 2017. “Tajikistan: Placing Pressure on Political Exiles by Targeting Relatives”. (The Foreign Policy Centre).
• Saipira Furstenberg, 2014. “Kaschagan und die Erdölwirtschaft Kasachstans Bodenschätze, Korruption und Transparenz-Initiativen in Zentralasien”. (Zentralasien-Analysen Nr. 78).
• Saipira Furstenberg, 2013. “EU Democracy in Central Asia, are we there yet?”. (Europe-Central Asia Monitoring, EUCAM).

Media contributions

• Saipira Furstenberg, Marcus Michaelson, 2021. “How Europe helps authoritarian regimes to export repression”. (Open Democracy, 13 May 2021).
• Saipira Furstenberg, 2020. “State of exception: balancing democratic freedoms with public safety, managing the Coronavirus outbreak in Italy”. (Pandemipolitics, Department of Politics, Exeter University blog, April 16).
• Saipira Furstenberg, 2020. “What does the arrest of Patrick George Zaky tell us about the state of academic freedom around the world?”. (Il Manifesto Global Edition, February 20).
• Saipira Furstenberg, John Heathershaw, 2020. “Kazakhstan’s domestic unrest: a new age of instability?” (ExCAS blog).
• Saipira Furstenberg, Bahar Baser, 2018. “Khashoggi murder: how states are increasingly repressing dissidents beyond their borders”. (The Conversation).
• John Heathershaw, Saipira Furstenberg, 2018. “The struggle for freedom of speech in Tajikistan: Khayrullo Mirsaidov and the question of international responsibility”. (OpenDemocracy).
• Saipira Furstenberg, 2017. “Uzbekistan: The Tashkent Spring Experiences a Frost”. (EurasiaNet.org, October 4).
• Saipira Furstenberg, 2017. “EITI Suspension of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan tests its global leverage”. (EurasiaNet.org, March 12).
• Saipira Furstenberg, 2015. “The European Union’s Search for Unity as the Refugee Crisis Continues”. (Oxford Human Rights Hub, University of Oxford, September 22).
• Saipira Furstenberg, 2014. “Male Rape in Armed Conflicts: Why We Should Talk About It”. (Oxford Human Rights Hub, University of Oxford, July 1).

Teaching Experience

Undergraduate modules:

2018 -2019: University of Oxford Brookes
(a) “Introduction to Politics”.
(b) “Nationalism, Ethnicity and Identity”.
(c) “Central Asia in Global Politics beyond oil and Islam”.

2017-2018: University of Exeter
(a) “The Changing Character of Warfare”.
(b) “Security Studies: from War to Peace in World Politics”.
(c) “Strategic Theory and Contemporary International Conflicts”.