Dr Razia Sultanova is an ethnomusicologist, professor, scholar, and author, with a lifelong specialisation in the study of music, culture, gender, and religion, across Central Asia and the Turkic-speaking world. Her work particularly emphasises female voices and perspectives in traditional and spiritual performance.

She is a Professorial Fellow at Cambridge Muslim College, a Visiting Professor at Charles University in Prague, and Research Fellow at Sarajevo University. She studied and consequently taught at both the Tashkent and Moscow State Conservatories, before moving to the UK in 1994.

Razia is the Chair of the ICTM Study Group on “Global History of Music” and the Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopaedia of the Turkic-Speaking World.

She has authored four books and five edited volumes (in Russian, French and English), and has been the recipient of twenty two international grants from organisations such as the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the l’Institute français d’études sur l’Asie Central (IFEAC), the British Council, AHRC, and the British Academy.

Dr Sultanova's current research interests female religious communities in the Orenburg region, traditional healing and shamanic practices in Kyrgyzstan, and the musical expressions of migrant and diasporic communities.

Razia has organised ten major international conferences and symposia in collaboration with the International Council for Traditional Music, where she served on the Executive Board as Vice President, between 2011 - 2019.

Dr Sultanova has presented lectures in over 70 countries around the world, and has also produced eight CDs and a documentary film, on the traditional music of Central Asia and the Turkic-speaking world.

Dr Razia Sultanova's most recent publications include:

From Shamanism to Sufism
Women, Islam and Culture in Central Asia (2014)

This pioneering study explores the lives and performances of female musicians in Central Asia, revealing how music becomes a space for spiritual expression, cultural continuity, and gendered resistance. Drawing on years of fieldwork, the book brings to light the often-unseen contributions of Muslim women to religious and cultural life.


Why Women Sing
Female Performance in Traditional Societies (2021)

An interdisciplinary journey across global traditions—from Central Asia to Africa, Eastern Europe to South Asia—this book explores why women continue to sing in societies where public female performance is often restricted. It investigates themes of ritual, healing, memory, and resilience.


Afghanistan Dispossessed
Women, Culture and the Taliban (2023)

Written in the aftermath of the Taliban’s return to power, this urgent book gives voice to Afghan women through stories, songs, and testimonies. Combining historical insight with first-hand accounts, it highlights the deep cultural losses—and enduring strength—of Afghan women today.


An International Encyclopaedia
Islam and Music of the Turkic-speaking world (coming soon)

The aim of this project is to contribute to the study of Islam and music associated themes, including interdisciplinary Islamic study, Sufism and performance in its modern forms. Articles by 50 authors contribute to this First Volume, with Dr Razia Sultanova appointed Editor-in Chief.

“For me, music is not only art — it is identity, resistance, healing, and memory.”