Congist'26: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Crisis

Historical Crises and Nation-Building: Rethinking Uzbek Identity

Not scheduled

20m

Istanbul University Faculty of Letters

Oral Presentation

Speaker

Mirzokhid Askarov (Tashkent State University)

Description

This study explores how major historical crises have shaped the formation and transformation of Uzbek national identity from the early twentieth century to the post-independence era. While nation-building in Uzbekistan is often examined through political developments, this paper focuses on crises – imperial collapse, ideological shifts, Soviet modernization, and the post-1991 transition – as critical turning points that redefined collective identity. Using a combination of historical analysis, anthropological perspectives, and identity theory, the study investigates how periods of instability generated new cultural narratives, restructured social relations, and reshaped understandings of heritage and belonging. The findings reveal that crises not only disrupted established frameworks but also created opportunities for renewed identity articulation, allowing the state and society to renegotiate continuity and change. By examining how Uzbekistan transformed crisis into a catalyst for nation-building, the research offers insights into adaptive identity models in crisis-prone regions and contributes to interdisciplinary debates on resilience and cultural reconstruction.