Scientific activity
One of the more than 40 scholarly schools operating at the university is the Scientific School of “Interethnic Relations and Tolerance,” which functions within the framework of the department. Under the leadership of the founder of the scientific school and Head of the Scientific Center for “Interethnic Harmony and Tolerance,” Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor R.H. Murtazayeva, the research team has for many years been engaged in the study of interethnic relations, ethnic minorities, and issues of tolerance. To date, under the academic supervision of Professor R.H. Murtazayeva, the following scholars have successfully defended their dissertations: K.D. Saipova (DSc), A.A. Yermetov (DSc), D. Inoyatova (DSc), A.A. Adilov (DSc), A.A. Insopov (PhD), D.E. Tuxtaboyeva (PhD), O.Q. Almardonov (PhD), and R. Xomitov (PhD).
The Scientific Center for “Interethnic Harmony and Tolerance,” established under the department, has been operating since 2006 and also serves as a unifying platform for specialists in this field throughout the republic. Members of the department and the scientific center regularly organize international and national scientific-practical conferences. Among them are the following conferences: “The Development of Diasporas in Central Asian States as an Important Factor of Sustainable Development” (2022); “Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States: Historical Experience and Prospects for Cooperation” (2023); “The Development of Diasporas in the Era of Globalization” (2024); and “Tolerance as a Guarantee of Peace, Civil Solidarity, Interethnic and Interreligious Harmony” (2025).
Among related departments, this department serves as the leading department responsible for developing the model curriculum on the subject “Contemporary History of Uzbekistan” for higher educational institutions of the republic (Prof. R.H. Murtazayeva, Prof. K. Saipova, Assoc. Prof. A.A. Adilov, Prof. A.A. Yermetov, Assoc. Prof. A.A. Insopov, and others). Based on this initiative, the department’s academic staff published the first-ever textbook on “Contemporary History of Uzbekistan” in the republic.
Over the years, the department’s faculty members have prepared and published numerous textbooks and teaching materials, including: History of Uzbekistan. Volume II (Second Half of the 19th Century – June 1989) (Tashkent, 2015); History of Uzbekistan, Volumes I and II (for students of history faculties, Tashkent: Donishmand Ziyo, 2019, 2020); History of Uzbekistan (a textbook for non-specialist students, Tashkent: Donishmand Ziyo, 2020); Contemporary History of Uzbekistan (textbook for students of non-specialist faculties of higher educational institutions, Tashkent, 2022); Contemporary History of Uzbekistan (2023 edition); and Contemporary History of Uzbekistan (Tashkent: “NIF MSH,” 2024 edition).
In 2023, the textbook Contemporary History of Uzbekistan, prepared by the department faculty members (R.H. Murtazayeva, D.M. Inoyatova, A. Adilov, A. Yermetov, K.D. Saipova, A. Insopov, and others), was recognized as the “Best Textbook of the Year” in a national competition organized by the Center for Research on the Development of Higher Education under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The textbook was awarded a First Degree Diploma (registered under No. 05, 2023).
In addition, several monographs have been published within the framework of the department’s activities, including: History of National Minorities in Uzbekistan (1917–1990) (K.D. Saipova, 2021); Development of Diasporology in the Context of Globalization (collective monograph, Germany, 2024); The History of Soviet Religious Policy in Uzbekistan (1917–1990) (A. Adilov, 2025); and History of the Polish Diaspora in Uzbekistan (1867–1946) (T.I. Doroshenko, 2025).
The “Applied Ethnology” Laboratory established under the National University of Uzbekistan is headed by Associate Professor R.X. Xomitov. The laboratory has established cooperative relations with research centers in the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. In particular, the laboratory regularly organizes international and national scientific-practical conferences and research projects.
Under the auspices of the “Applied Ethnology” Laboratory, the journal History, Politics and Law of the East included in the list of journals recognized by the Higher Attestation Commission (HAC) has been launched under the editorship of Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor R.X. Murtazayeva. To date, researchers have published scholarly articles in the fields of history, politics, law, philosophy, and sociology in this journal. Special attention has been devoted to studies on interethnic harmony, tolerance, demography, and diasporas.
The department’s faculty members occupy a leading position among higher educational institutions of the republic in the field of the History of Uzbekistan and continue to conduct extensive scholarly research. In particular, Professor R.X. Murtazayeva has authored nearly 500 scientific works to date. Under her academic supervision, 46 dissertations have been successfully defended, including 11 Doctor of Science (DSc) dissertations, 22 Candidate of Sciences dissertations, and 13 PhD dissertations in history.
Furthermore, under the leadership of Professor R.X. Murtazayeva, several research projects were implemented during 2017–2021. Within the framework of Project F.1-32, titled “The Role of the Principles of Tolerance in the Socio-Political and Spiritual Development of Uzbekistan: From Ancient Times to the Present Day,” the historical formation of the idea of tolerance and its role in socio-political life in Uzbekistan were studied (participants: DSc A. Adilov, Prof. K. Saipova). In 2020, within the framework of Applied Project No. 46-01/81, implemented by the “Olima” Association of Women Scholars of Uzbekistan and titled “Improving the Participation of Women Scholars in Implementing the Tasks Defined in the State Program ‘Year of Dialogue with the People and Human Interests’ in the Mahallas of Tashkent City (Case Study of Olmazor District),” research was conducted on enhancing women’s social activity in local communities (participants: DSc A. Adilov, Prof. K. Saipova). In 2021, within Applied Project No. 18/1-79, research was carried out on “The Role of the Mahalla Institution in the Development of Civil Society and Its Coverage in the Mass Media” (participants: Prof. K. Saipova, Assoc. Prof. A. Adilov). During 2021–2024, within the framework of Project F.1-88, “Introducing Innovations in the History of Uzbekistan into the Higher Education System,” work was undertaken to integrate innovations in the teaching of Uzbekistan’s history into higher education (participants: DSc A. Adilov, Prof. K. Saipova). Between 2023 and 2025, the international project “The History of the Polish Diaspora in Uzbekistan” focused on studying the history, cultural life, and social role of the Polish diaspora in Uzbekistan (participants: Prof. K. Saipova, Prof. D. Inoyatova, Assoc. Prof. T. Doroshenko, Assoc. Prof. O. Almardonov).
Professor K.D. Saipova has published more than 400 scholarly articles and seven textbooks during her academic career. Among her works are six monographs, including History of the People’s Commissariats for National Affairs of the Turkestan ASSR (Germany: Lambert, 2022); History of the Formation of the Multiethnic Population of Turkestan (Germany: Lambert, 2023); Development of Diasporology in the Context of Globalization (collective monograph, Lambert, Germany, 2024); Alisher Navoi as a Great Statesman of the Medieval East: Strokes to a Portrait (Moscow: KANON-PLUS, 2024); and Essays on the Historiography of Uzbek Statehood (Tashkent: Bookmany Print, 2024). She has also published 13 articles in national scientific journals recommended by the Higher Attestation Commission for the publication of the principal scientific results of dissertations, as well as 20 articles in international and republican conferences. Since November 1, 2024, Professor Saipova has been participating in the international grant project jointly conducted with the Chokan Valikhanov Institute of History and Ethnology under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan, titled “Preparation and Publication of the Memories of Witnesses and Descendants of the Mass Famine in Kazakhstan (1931–1933),” focusing on the history, ethnology, and comparative historical studies of Turkic peoples.
Professor Avaz Abdullayevich Yermetov is the author of more than 100 articles on the history of public administration and judicial institutions in Uzbekistan. He has also published three scholarly monographs, one fundamental popular-scientific book-album (co-authored), four textbooks, and five teaching and methodological manuals. During his career, he has supervised more than 30 bachelor’s theses, over 40 master’s theses, and five PhD dissertations in history. He is a member of the editorial boards of two journals recognized by the Higher Attestation Commission and one prestigious international journal, as well as a member of two dissertation councils and two seminar commissions in the specialty 07.00.01 – History of Uzbekistan.
Professor D.M. Inoyatova is among the scholars who have significantly contributed to the development of diasporology in Uzbekistan and is the author of nearly 200 scholarly articles. She has supervised more than 10 master’s students. In 2021, she defended her Doctor of Science (DSc) dissertation in the specialty 07.00.01 – History of Uzbekistan on the topic “History of the German Diaspora in Uzbekistan (Second Half of the 19th Century – Beginning of the 21st Century).” She has also published articles indexed in Scopus journals on topics such as “Participation of Representatives of the German Diaspora in the Economy of Turkestan” and “Experience of Tolerant Relationships among the Peoples of Uzbekistan (Using the Example of the Akmechet Mennonites of Khorezm).”
Associate Professor and Doctor of Historical Sciences A.A. Adilov defended his Candidate of Sciences dissertation in 2003 on the topic “The History of National Liberation Movements in the Emirate of Bukhara (on the Example of the ‘Liberation Movement’ Led by Abdulmalik Tura).” He is a recipient of the badge “Excellent Worker of Higher Education” (2000). A. Adilov is the author of approximately 150 scholarly works, including 22 textbooks on the history of Uzbekistan, two electronic textbooks, six teaching manuals, and five monographs. He has participated in numerous national and international conferences, and his articles have been published in Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Germany, India, Ukraine, and Canada. On December 22, 2025, A.A. Adilov defended his Doctor of Science (DSc) dissertation on the topic “Religious Policy Implemented by the Soviet State in Uzbekistan (1917–1990).”
Associate Professor T.I. Doroshenko is the author of nearly 100 scholarly articles. She has co-authored four textbooks, two monographs, and four collective monographs. Since 2023, she has served as Chairperson of the Uzbekistan–Poland Commission established in Poland. She is currently conducting research for her Doctor of Science (DSc) dissertation in the specialty 07.00.01 – History of Uzbekistan on the topic “History of the Polish Diaspora in Uzbekistan (1867–1990).”
Since 2023, the department has also maintained cooperation with the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk and the Museum of Siberian Memory in Białystok, Poland. This cooperation includes joint conferences, lectures, and publications in academic journals.
At the initiative of the department, annual celebratory programs dedicated to November 16 – the International Day for Tolerance are organized in cooperation with the Committee on Interethnic Relations and Compatriots Abroad under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
It is well known that the National University of Uzbekistan, as the first higher educational institution of the republic, has long been one of the country’s foremost centers of science and scholarship. Over decades, it has trained highly qualified specialists not only for Uzbekistan but also for Central Asia, the CIS, and many foreign countries. Numerous eminent scholars and distinguished academics, whose names are widely recognized in the international scholarly community, have made invaluable contributions to the development of Uzbek science at this university. Even today, they continue mentoring younger generations and contributing significantly to the advancement of science in the republic. The substantial attention paid by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, to science and its comprehensive support in social development has become an important milestone in strengthening the nation’s scientific potential.
International cooperation
Local and foreign partners:
- The department is South Kazakhstan University named after M.Avezov of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
- Al-Farabi National University.
- Gumilev Eurasian National University.
- Kazakhstan has established mutual cooperation with National Women’s Universities.
Despite its relatively recent establishment, the department has rapidly developed international academic cooperation. In particular, Professor R.H. Murtazayeva has delivered lectures at prestigious higher educational institutions in the United States, Germany, Poland, and Kazakhstan. In addition, Professor K.D. Saipova, Doctor of Historical Sciences A.A. Adilov, and Associate Professor S.M. Atadjanova conducted online lectures at the University of Bremen (Germany), which is ranked among the QS Top 500 universities in the world.
The department has also established close academic cooperation with leading universities of Central Asia, including Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (Kazakhstan), L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (Kazakhstan), M. Auezov South Kazakhstan University (Kazakhstan), Jusup Balasagyn Kyrgyz National University (Kyrgyzstan), and Tajik National University (Tajikistan). In particular, Professor R.H. Murtazayeva, Professor K.D. Saipova, Professor D.M. Inoyatova, Associate Professor A.A. Adilov, Associate Professor T.I. Doroshenko, and S.M. Atadjanova regularly deliver lectures at the aforementioned universities in Kazakhstan. Likewise, Professor A.A. Yermetov and Associate Professor A.A. Insopov have also participated in lecture programs at M. Auezov South Kazakhstan University.
The department’s faculty members, Acting Associate Professor X. Olimjonov, lecturers J. Polvanov and D. Raxmonberdiyev, participated in the Summer School events organized within the framework of the academic mobility program at Jusup Balasagyn Kyrgyz National University in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from June 9 to June 16, 2025.
Furthermore, at the invitation of Oreel University (Israel), Professor K.D. Saipova conducted online lectures for the university’s faculty members and students.
Since 2023, the department has also maintained cooperation with the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, Poland, and the Siberian Museum in Białystok, Poland. A memorandum of understanding has been signed with the Museum of Siberian History and Memory. Within the framework of this memorandum, in May 2023, Professor R.X. Murtazayeva, Professor K.D. Saipova, and Associate Professor T.I. Doroshenko delivered lectures for professors, master’s students, and students of the University of Białystok in Poland.
At present, the department has also established cooperative relations with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (France).
At the initiative of the department, international scientific-practical conferences are organized annually. These conferences bring together prominent representatives of the academic community from Germany, Poland, Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, as well as from numerous higher educational institutions and research institutes across the republic.
In addition, at the initiative of the department, an annual traditional scientific-practical conference of talented students from higher educational institutions of the republic is organized in commemoration of May 12 – the founding date of the National University.
