Academic Articles by Christopher Schwartz
Journalism Studies, 2021
Journalists, journalism scholars and philosophers have long noted a dearth of engagement between ... more Journalists, journalism scholars and philosophers have long noted a dearth of engagement between journalism and philosophy, particularly in the Anglophone world. Yet, they have much to gain from each other as professional communities and as disciplines of thought and practice. This paper attempts to initiate the long-overdue conversation between journalism and philosophy by proposing that they are both forms of power in society. They arise from the same dimension of the human condition and they address complementary needs that arise from that dimension, which is why journalism and philosophy are so tantalizingly similar and yet frustratingly different.
Social and Cultural Change in Central Asia: The Soviet Legacy, 2013
PEER-REVIEWED: Exploring the structure of a generation -- my generation: those of us who are in t... more PEER-REVIEWED: Exploring the structure of a generation -- my generation: those of us who are in their 20s and 30s today and who were school children when the communist governments collapsed in 1991, and who have been, as it were, living the ruins ever since. I employ phenomenological analysis of anecdotal data in the form of self-reporting of young, literate, and educated Central Asians derived from interviews, e-mails, and blog posts.
Journalism Research and Investigation in a Digital World, 2013
PEER-REVIEWED: A journalism studies case study from Turkmenistan, arguably the region’s most noto... more PEER-REVIEWED: A journalism studies case study from Turkmenistan, arguably the region’s most notorious country given its status as, according to many experts, the world’s second-most totalitarian regime (after North Korea). The case study specifically deals with the ‘Turkmenet’, the Turkmen-language online community largely derived from Turkmenistanis.
Global Media Journal - Australian Edition, 2011
WikiLeaks' massive leak of United States Department of State diplomatic cables was met with a wid... more WikiLeaks' massive leak of United States Department of State diplomatic cables was met with a wide range of journalistic and audience reactions in post-Soviet Central Asia. These tended to be informed by dynamics unique to the region as well as media conditions specific to each of the five republics. In general, initial curiosity and goodwill has given way to more toned-down feelings, including scepticism and cynicism. In Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in particular, it appears to have accomplished one goal – putting corrupt and secretive regimes on alert – while undermining another – helping journalists, civil society activists, and human rights defenders. Since the leak is still on going, it is impossible to make a definitive statement about WikiLeaks’ ultimate effect upon the region. Nevertheless, it does appear that so far the organisation has had the paradoxical result of reinforcing Central Asia's marginalisation in global media consciousness yet giving Central Asians, both journalists and audiences, an opportunity to get a real sense of how the world perceives them.
Peace and Conflict Monitor, Mar 2010
An analysis of the debate over political violence in contemporary Islam from the viewpoint of its... more An analysis of the debate over political violence in contemporary Islam from the viewpoint of its historical roots. The focus is upon a dialectic between the intellectual and the martial, and competing interpretations of an idyllic patristic era, with several practical and ideological consequences. Published March 2010 in the Peace and Conflict Monitor.
Journalistic Work by Christopher Schwartz
The Diplomat, 2017
51 percent of young urban respondents in student-run poll express openness to the idea. Co-publis... more 51 percent of young urban respondents in student-run poll express openness to the idea. Co-published with my students at the American University of Central Asia on The Diplomat (https://thediplomat.com/2017/07/trump-for-president-of-kyrgyzstan/).
Voice of Alatoo Gazette, Aug 9, 2016
The Diplomat, Aug 16, 2016
Despite its problems, Kyrgyzstan may be Central Asia’s most stable state. Here’s why.
Quartz, 2016
A surprising number of people are getting trapped for months on end in Moscow's busiest airport —... more A surprising number of people are getting trapped for months on end in Moscow's busiest airport — Quartz
Open Central Asia, 2016
Reconceptualizing Western human rights advocacy in Central Asia from the perspective of indigenou... more Reconceptualizing Western human rights advocacy in Central Asia from the perspective of indigenous alternatives: akyns, chaikhanas and subbotniks. The title comes from the Russian proverb, "Ездить в Тулу со своим самоваром" ("Yézdit’ v Túlu so svoim samovárom"), the idea of which is that one should not bring to a place that which the place itself can supply. Published in the Spring 2016 issue of Open Central Asia.
Open Central Asia, Oct 2015
An interview with Steve Swerdlow, Human Rights Watch's Researcher for Central Asia, on the connec... more An interview with Steve Swerdlow, Human Rights Watch's Researcher for Central Asia, on the connection between Jazz, democracy and the region. Written in a semi-fictional style. Published in the Fall 2015 issue of Open Central Asia.
Play Philly, Jun 2007
This is an article that I am proud to say proved to be very popular among many of the now-defunct... more This is an article that I am proud to say proved to be very popular among many of the now-defunct Play Philly Magazine’s readers, as it was about artists and their role in gentrification.
Play Philly, Feb 21, 2007
My interview of Philadelphia’s rising political-underground Hip Hop artist Verbal Tec, which was ... more My interview of Philadelphia’s rising political-underground Hip Hop artist Verbal Tec, which was the cover article for the February 21st, 2007 issue of Play Philly Magazine (which is now out of print).
Thinking East, May 31, 2005
Yair Auron is an Israeli scholar of genocide scholars. Since 2005, he has served as the head of t... more Yair Auron is an Israeli scholar of genocide scholars. Since 2005, he has served as the head of the Department of Sociology, Political Science and Communication of The Open University of Israel and an associate professor.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Aug 2010
Will Kyrgyzstan's post-revolution government go the way of the previous one, which was driven fro... more Will Kyrgyzstan's post-revolution government go the way of the previous one, which was driven from power by protests that turned violent in April? Hype Cycle theory, which seeks to explain the popular acceptance of technology, could provide a clue.
Presentations by Christopher Schwartz
Guest lecture given to the Breda University of Applied Sciences.
Central Asia Security Forum / Civil Initiative for Internet Policy, 2019
Presented at the third annual Central Asia Security Forum in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, this presentat... more Presented at the third annual Central Asia Security Forum in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, this presentation concerns audience receptivity as a root problem for both disinformation and radicalization. With my partners, the Civil Initiative for Internet Policy, I propose a new project designed to grapple with the problem in two phases.
Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETS) Symposium, 2019
Original: https://arxiv.org/abs/1906.08021
With the shift of public discourse to social media, w... more Original: https://arxiv.org/abs/1906.08021
With the shift of public discourse to social media, we see simultaneously an expansion of civic engagement as the bar to enter the conversation is lowered, and the reaction by both state and non-state adversaries of free speech to silence these voices. Traditional forms of censorship struggle in the new situation to enforce the preferred narrative of those in power. Consequently, adversaries have developed new methods for controlling the conversation that use the social media platform itself. Using the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan as a main case study, this talk explores a) how this new form of "subtle" censorship relies upon pretense and imitation, and b) why interdisciplinary research methods are needed to grapple it. We examine the role that "fakeness" in the form of fake news and profiles are used as methods of subtle censorship.
Central Asia Security Forum / Civic Initiative for Internet Policy, 2018
A phenomenological approach to the philosophy of information and how this is potentially relevant... more A phenomenological approach to the philosophy of information and how this is potentially relevant for understanding narratives used for countering violent extremism (CVE). The idea is similar to Claude Lefort's use of the traditional philosophical distinction between politics and the political as-such: rather than look at the myriad ways that either content or methods of delivery may be persuasive, instead take a step "lower down" and see that information as such is a form of persuasion. Presented at the second annual Central Asia Security Forum in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan at the invitation of the Civic Initiative for Internet Policies.
World Communications Association, 2017
"Intelligence ≠ Journalism, Spies ≠ Journalists" In this presentation/paper, I will attempt to ... more "Intelligence ≠ Journalism, Spies ≠ Journalists" In this presentation/paper, I will attempt to argue: WikiLeaks is on a trajectory that is increasingly taking it away from its early journalistic mission as a publisher of sensitive documents and leaks, and toward the goal of establishing itself as “an intelligence agency of the people”. However, in its discourse WikiLeaks refuses to distinguish the two, much less relinquish its journalistic mission. The ethical and increasingly social-political problem with this development is that WikiLeaks is fostering conceptual and practical confusion between journalism and intelligence. Consequently, in this presentation/paper, I will attempt to do the following: I will attempt to elucidate WikiLeaks’ concept of an “intelligence agency of the people” through a philosophical interrogation. This will include elucidating the difference between spies and journalists, in particular the responsibilities of the latter. It will also include applying Michel Foucault’s concept of the panopticon. Finally, I want to alert my audience to the growing fractures in public opinion being fostered by WikiLeaks’ conflation of intelligence and journalism. This will include my own research in the United States and Central Asia, and an application of Emile Durkheim’s concept of the totem.
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Academic Articles by Christopher Schwartz
Journalistic Work by Christopher Schwartz
Presentations by Christopher Schwartz
With the shift of public discourse to social media, we see simultaneously an expansion of civic engagement as the bar to enter the conversation is lowered, and the reaction by both state and non-state adversaries of free speech to silence these voices. Traditional forms of censorship struggle in the new situation to enforce the preferred narrative of those in power. Consequently, adversaries have developed new methods for controlling the conversation that use the social media platform itself. Using the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan as a main case study, this talk explores a) how this new form of "subtle" censorship relies upon pretense and imitation, and b) why interdisciplinary research methods are needed to grapple it. We examine the role that "fakeness" in the form of fake news and profiles are used as methods of subtle censorship.
With the shift of public discourse to social media, we see simultaneously an expansion of civic engagement as the bar to enter the conversation is lowered, and the reaction by both state and non-state adversaries of free speech to silence these voices. Traditional forms of censorship struggle in the new situation to enforce the preferred narrative of those in power. Consequently, adversaries have developed new methods for controlling the conversation that use the social media platform itself. Using the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan as a main case study, this talk explores a) how this new form of "subtle" censorship relies upon pretense and imitation, and b) why interdisciplinary research methods are needed to grapple it. We examine the role that "fakeness" in the form of fake news and profiles are used as methods of subtle censorship.