Qualitative Research Methods Students Works

What does it mean to pursue an education when your country is at war, your government silences dissent, or you've been forced to leave home? Seven students in the GHEA21 Qualitative Research Methods course, taught by Victor Apryshchenko at Bard College, set out to answer that question — and their findings are now published for a global audience on the Global History Dialogues website. Spanning geographies that reflect their own backgrounds, including Russia, Afghanistan, and Myanmar, their projects explore a shared theme: what it means to pursue education and academic life under authoritarianism, conflict, displacement, and political repression.

Each student spent the spring 2026 semester designing an original research question, conducting oral history interviews, and analyzing their findings. Students presented at the Global History Dialogues conference in July before finalizing their publications. 

Explore their research and stories: 

Silsila Zafari, "Beyond the Classroom Walls: Afghan Girls' Experiences of Online Education Under Social Restriction"
Peghla Shalamkhel, "Why are Afghan Girls/Women Growing Up Under an Education Ban and How the Education Ban in Afghanistan May Influence Non-Afghan Girls/Women?"
Myo Myint Maung Maung, "Liberal Arts Education and Civic Agency under Authoritarian Rule: Experiences of Parami University Students in Myanmar"
Elizaveta Vergel, "“Tsar's People”: Teachers' Role in the Russian School Education After 2022"
Ally D., "Russian Graduate Students in the US: Navigating Academic Lives under Trump's Second Presidency Term"
Anna Zhovtis, "Learning Exile: Queer Survival Knowledge and Oral Histories of Russian Refugees"
Belal Wahabzai, "The Thirsty Capital: Infrastructure Failure and Water Deprivation in Kabul"

Post Date: 08-03-2026