‘Why should we have theirs if we have our own?’ On decolonizing social science research ethics in Central Asia

Many Central Asian institutions and researchers are under increasing pressure to research and publish internationally, to meet knowledge production goals set by governments. In many cases, however, support systems for research, such as research ethics courses and approval, are not in place. In this research note, we explore research ethics issues in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and reflect on what it means to conduct ethical research from the decolonial and cultural perspectives within the region and beyond. Findings from one hundred qualitative interviews with social science researchers in these three countries indicate significant variation in attitudes within and between nations to developing social science research ethics guidelines in the region. While researchers in Kazakhstan endorse an internationalized approach, their counterparts in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan were strongly inclined towards culturally nuanced research ethics policies and regulations. Despite the strong call from the participants to have ‘our way’ of doing research, the foundations for it are still to evolve. We recommend rethinking research ethics in Central Asia should start from professional development for researchers and quality discussions to inform policy-making.