Dr Hakim Elnazarov
Head of the Central Asian Studies Unit
Dr Hakim Elnazarov is Head of the Central Asian Studies Unit (CASU) in the Department of Academic Research and Publications of the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS). He joined the IIS in 2003 as a Research Fellow and since 2006 he has been leading the activities of CASU.
Dr Elnazarov received his PhD from King’s College London in the history of empires. His thesis analyses the Anglo-Russian rivalry in the Pamirs and Hindu Kush and the role of the Ismailis of Central Asia in the Great Game.
Dr Elnazarov completed his graduate studies at the Faculty of Oriental Studies of the Tajik State University in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, where he received qualifications in Islamic Studies. He then obtained a Master of Education from the Institute for Educational Development (IED) at the Aga Khan University (AKU), Karachi, Pakistan. He has also worked in various capacities in higher education in Tajikistan and East Africa.
Dr Elnazarov is specialised in the history and intellectual traditions of the Central Asian Ismailis, Islamic education in Central Asia, and the languages and culture of the mountain societies of Central Asia.
Dr Elnazarov has edited books and has published articles and book reviews on various topics, including the history and traditions of the Central Asian Ismailis, religious education, languages and gender issues in Central Asia. He is a Chief Editor of the IIS’s Russian and Tajik publications and is a Series Editor of the Endangered Languages Yearbook, published by Brill in the UK.
Apart from teaching at the IIS, he has delivered talks, presented papers at conferences and organised international conferences, exhibitions and seminars in the UK, Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Dr Elnazarov is a member of the Executive Committee of the Foundation for Endangered Languages and is engaged in various collaborative projects with academic institutions in Central Asia and Russia.
