REGIONALISM AND IDENTITY FORMATION IN CENTRAL ASIA
Abstract
This article explores the evolution and processes of regionalism in Central Asia, focusing on the formation and consolidation of regional
identities within their unique historical, socio-political, and cultural contexts. Drawing on diverse theoretical approaches, the article
examines the legacy of Soviet-era regional policies and their impact on post-independence regional identity formation. It highlights how
regionalism in Central Asia has oscillated between ethnic and civic conceptions, reflecting historical legacies and the challenges of
globalization. The analysis emphasizes the need for an inclusive vision that accommodates ethnic and cultural diversity while fostering
pluralist democracy and regional cooperation. The research wounderscores the interplay of historical narratives, cultural revival, and
political transformations in shaping regional identities and suggests pathways for sustainable social cohesion and stability
References
2. Reicher, Stephen and Nick Hopkins. Self and Nation: Categorization, Contestation and Mobilization, (London: SAGE Publications, 2001), pp.131-151.
3. Brower, Daniel. “Islam and Ethnicity: Russian Colonial Policy in Turkestan”, in Daniel R. Brower and Edward J. Lazzerini (eds.), Russia’s Orient: Imperial Borderlands and Peoples, 1700-1917, (Bloomington & Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1997), pp.131-151.
4. Dawisha, Karen and Bruce Parrott. Russia and The New States of Eurasia: The Politics of Upheaval, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), pp.88, 89.
5. Fainsod, Merle. How Russia is Ruled, (Massachusetts: Harward University Press, 1965), pp.421-430.
6. Gitelman, Zvi. “Development and Ethnicity in the Soviet Union”, in Alexander J. Motyl, (ed.), The Post-Soviet Nations: Perspectives on the Demise of the USSR, (New York: Colombia University Press, 1992), p.225.
7. Medish, Vadim. The Soviet Union, (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1987), pp.40-43.
8. Jenkins, Richard. Social Identity, (London: Routledge, 1996), p.5.
9. Liebich, Andre. “Must Nations Become States?” Nationalities Papers, vol.31, no.4, December 2003, pp.454, 455.
10. Ozcan, Ali Kemal. “Nationalism: Distilling The Cultural and The Political”, Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, no.11, 2005, p.165.
11. Kuzio, Taras. “History, Memory and Nation-Building in the Post-Soviet Colonial Space”, Nationalities Papers, vol.30, no.2, 2002, pp.242-250.
12. Huskey, Eugene. “National Identity from Scratch: Defining Kyrgyzstan’s Role in World Affairs”, Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, vol.19, no.3, 2003, p.114.
Copyright (c) 2025 News of the NUUz

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.