The Nippon Foundation Central Asia – Human Resource Development Project members specializing in different fields will present their research papers on a variety of different topics. The organizer of the session, Dr. Kajiyama will analyze films produced in local languages in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and provide comparative analysis of their respective national identities. Dr. Insebayeva will explore the articulation of Kazakh national identity through Kazakh popular music, shedding light on how non-state actors involved in the process of (re)imagining the nation fit into domestic national identity construction. Mr. Gulomaliev, will present his research on the dialect map created as a result of an on-site survey of Wakhi people living in Central Asia widely. The aim of the session is to provide a fresh perspective on the on-going developments in Central Asian region.