Gulzat Botoeva

Gulzat is interested in studying economic activities that are usually defined as illegal/informal and outside of law. Thus, she works at the intersection between economic sociology and criminology and economic sociology of illegality. Her recent research project focuses on illegal gold mining in Kyrgyzstan, criminalisation and de-legitimation of mining protests. Her previous research project was focused on small-scale hashish harvesting in Kyrgyzstan. 

In general, she is interested in studying illegal and informal economies, exploring the links between neoliberalization and illegality in Central Asia and post-Soviet region. She promotes using ethnographic research methods in studying issues as defined as illegal in many context, and has published with the Theoretical Criminology, The International Journal of Drug Policy and Central Asian Survey.