Gladney focused his research on ethnic and cultural nationalism in Asia, specializing in the peoples, politics, and cultures of the Silk Road and Muslim Chinese (or Hui). A two-time Fulbright Research Scholar to China and Turkey, he conducted long-term field research in Western China, Central Asia, and Turkey. The results of his work have been featured on CNN, BBC, Voice of America, National Public Radio, al-Jazeerah, and in Newsweek, Time, The Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.
