Kristen Pearson (September 2025-June 2026)
The Hajji Baba Club is pleased to announce that Kristen Pearson has been awarded the 2025–2026 Hajji Baba Club Research Fellowship from an exceptional group of applicants.
Kristen Pearson is an advanced PhD candidate in Anthropology and Inner Asian Studies at Harvard University. Her research explores how contemporary Kazakh pastoralists in Western Mongolia engage with felt carpets, known as syrmaq, as living treasuries of tradition, identity, and evolving social relationships.
The fellowship supports Pearson’s ongoing dissertation research as well as outreach initiatives in collaboration with Mongolian heritage institutions. She previously led the Endangered Material Knowledge Programme project Nomadic Material Heritage, documenting craft techniques in Kazakh and Uriankhai communities. Pearson also served as Textile Archaeology Fellow for a U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation project from 2022–2024.
The Hajji Baba Club Research Fellowship was established in 2018 to promote original scholarship in the field of carpet studies. It provides financial support and visibility for emerging scholars and independent researchers.