That’s what usually happens when it comes to thesis proposal. You have
so many ideas in your mind, you want to save the world, contribute, do
something useful. I am passionate and worried about the preservation of
cultural heritage in my motherland Kyrgyzstan, and there are just so MANY gaps
that need attention and development, I cannot help myself but just want to work
with all of them. Fine arts, architecture, handicrafts, folklore, and many
others. Anyway, when I applied for Cultural Heritage Studies program of CEU, I
decided to concentrate on Preserving
Kyrgyz Traditional Felt Carpet Production through Women Entrepreneurship. 
Ala-kiyiz and Shyrdak, art
of Kyrgyz traditional felt carpets, which was included to the List of UNESCO Intangible
Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in
2012, is in danger of disappearing. The number of
practitioners is decreasing. There is a lack of governmental safeguarding,
alongside with the disinterest of the younger generation. The average age of
artisans is over 40[i]. Ala-kiyiz
and Shyrdak are difficult to produce, that is why their price is high. Usually
tourists buy little carpets. There are different international organizations
which work in developing of Kyrgyz tourism through helping people to organize
small enterprises (like USAID BGI project, for example), but they act
separately, and their initiatives and results usually are not sustainable after
projects’ closure. Kyrgyz felt carpets production always was what women do. Today,
there are some local businesses which promote this art on international level,
like Nakta.kg shop, for example. But it is hard to say whether they use the
ancient Kyrgyz technologies of carpet production, or they use adapted versions.
The techniques Kyrgyz women used in Ala-kiyiz and Shyrdak creation are a
crucial component of cultural heritage, and we need to be able to pass
knowledge to young generations of artisans. This naturally will develop women
entrepreneurship. Today, there are artisans who feed their families all by
themselves. It is well-known that women entrepreneurship is an important source
of economic growth[ii];
that is why many factors will benefit from the conservation of Ala-kiyiz and
Shyrdak production.
So I thought that I will prepare a business plan for
women non-governmental organizations which then can apply it. But afterwards I
understood that there are many involvements in Ala-kiyiz and Shyrdak
preservation, I now I doubt, whether my thesis work would be as important as I think
it is. I will use reports of international development organizations which
implemented projects in Kyrgyzstan (USAID BGI and others), I will most likely
do questionnaires, I think I will need to travel to regions of Kyrgyzstan to understand
what female artisans think and need. I will also work with cooperation with
University of Central Asia, who published several books about Kyrgyz cultural
heritage. I hope to figure out my final thoughts by the end of 2018.
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