Here we seek to take a non-Eurocentric perspective and bring together scholars specialising in different parts of Asia to question these narratives and provide alternative perspectives on how, and whether, we should see non-European cultures as in a comparative decline in the early modern period.

This workshop will tackle problems around the 'great divergence' of early modern and modern history, often explained especially in populist media by suggesting that Europe had unique institutional or cultural characteristics that contributed to its enormous economic surge in the early modern world.

We've been excited by the many great contributions to this year's conference - and we look forward to updating you on follow-ups and other academic meetings in the future!

Our Bruno De Nicola, Stefan Kamola, and Sara Mirahmadi joined the panel "Continuity and Transformation in Persianate Mongol Intellectual History" with Carina Dreyer, and Robert Steele presented his book, "Pahlavi Iran’s Relations with Africa: Cultural and Political Connections in the Cold War"!

Our contributions included sessions on Histories and Historiographies of C16-18 Central Asia led by Florian Schwarz, on Central Asian National Identities with our deputy director Ariane Sadjed, and with Jeanine Dagyeli on Capitalism in Turkestan: Foreign Investments and Local Entanglements:

For the IFI Dr. Bruno de Nicola, principal investigator of the @nomaland.bsky.social project, has been the primary research lead working with with the Chinggis Khan National Museum, and gave a public lecture there today.

We look forward to sharing more news as our collaboration develops!