Raushan Abylkassymova is a Research and Development Officer at CAB. She earned her Master's Degree from Nazarbayev University in Eurasian Studies, a multilingual interdisciplinary program, which provided her with a deeper understanding of the region through anthropological and historical perspectives. Her primary research interests lie in the social and cultural history of late socialism, with a specific focus on Soviet Central Asia. Raushan’s master's thesis explored the issue of consumer culture and attitudes towards Western goods in Soviet Kazakhstan during Kunayev’s era. In her research, she engaged with diverse sources of data, including archival and published sources, as well as interviews with witnesses from that historical period. Raushan is also a participant in the Esimde memory studies program, with her project aimed at collecting stories and shedding light on the war experiences of Central Asian women who served in the Soviet-Afghan War.