The Curious Rise and Development of Central Asian Nationalisms

with Dr. Russell Zanca, Northeastern Illinois University
This presentation examines scholarly notions about post-Soviet Central Asia’s future close to the the time of the Soviet dissolution. Given the rather different outcome for Central Asian states over the past quarter century, the author claims that Central Asian states have articulated curious nationalisms that concurrently militate against regional cooperation while still maintaining a modicum of peace and stability among the regional countries among other factors. In discussing the case of nationalisms, the argument centers on relative successes of the Soviet system that have created an enduring legacy in Central Asia till present. The author implies this is hard to apprehend without spending significant time outside of cities, and without understanding how varied Soviet experiences have been across this area.