Showing papers in "Central Asian Survey in 2019"
TL;DR: Since spring 2017, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China has witnessed the emergence of an unprecedented re-education campaign as mentioned in this paper, according to media and informant reports, untold thousands o...
Abstract: Since spring 2017, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China has witnessed the emergence of an unprecedented re-education campaign. According to media and informant reports, untold thousands o...
122 citations
TL;DR: This special issue provides an overview of the programme of 'de-extremification' and mass internment in Xinjiang since early 2017 and sitsuate this develop...
Abstract: In the Introduction to this special issue, I first provide an overview of the programme of 'de-extremification' and mass internment in Xinjiang since early 2017. I then situate this development aga...
56 citations
TL;DR: The Chinese statist project of occupying, minoritizing and securitizing diffe... as discussed by the authors is an essential myth that animates Chinese nationalism and is the basis for Chinese nationalism.
Abstract: China as a victim rather than a proponent of modern colonialism is an essential myth that animates Chinese nationalism. The Chinese statist project of occupying, minoritizing and securitizing diffe...
47 citations
TL;DR: In the last two centuries, tradition has been invoked in Central Asia by Russian and Soviet regimes, as well as by local Central Asian elites, largely in two ways: either as a deficiency to be... as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Over the last two centuries, ‘tradition’1 has been invoked in Central Asia by Russian and Soviet regimes, as well as by local Central Asian elites, largely in two ways: either as a deficiency to be...
31 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the power of social media in defining and policing sexual identities and bodily expressions, and their connections to understanding nation, power and self in authoritarian contexts is discussed. But, the authors do not discuss the relationship between identity and self.
Abstract: What is the power of social media in defining and policing sexual identities and bodily expressions, and what are their connections to understanding nation, power and self in authoritarian contexts...
30 citations
TL;DR: This paper examined the changing nature of Chinese state framing of violence in Xinjiang through a comparative analysis of the discursive construction of the Baren (1990) and Maralbeshi (2013) violent incidents and found that the terror lexicon has replaced old narratives of counter-revolution to legitimize a sustained crackdown under a novel geopolitical context.
Abstract: China has declared a war on terrorism in Xinjiang, identifying violence in the region as a top security threat However, what nowadays is officially constructed as ‘terrorism’ was framed as ‘counter-revolution’ in the past Informed by the concept of macrosecuritization and the agenda of critical terrorism studies, this article examines the changing nature of Chinese state framing of violence in Xinjiang Through a comparative analysis of the discursive construction of the Baren (1990) and Maralbeshi (2013) violent incidents, I find that the terror lexicon has replaced old narratives of counter-revolution to legitimize a sustained crackdown under a novel geopolitical context The construction of violence in Xinjiang as terrorism, I argue, is contingent, limited and unstable It marginalizes factors other than an extremist or separatist agency in the incubation of the violence, in particular the frictions created by the crackdown with which the Chinese government is trying to placate the unrest
28 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the role of reverence for an idealized Kyrgyzstani state in the retention of primary school teachers in a rural and impoverished region. But they do not consider the impact of the Russian concept of derzhavnost.
Abstract: What role does reverence for an idealized Kyrgyzstani state play in the retention of primary school teachers in a rural and impoverished region? How does the single Russian concept of derzhavnost’,...
20 citations
TL;DR: In the past few years, there has been a rise of inter-ethnic violence in China as mentioned in this paper, and while ethno-cultural repression and ineffective state policies are correctly attributed as key culprits behind this re...
Abstract: In the past few years there has been a rise of inter-ethnic violence in China. While ethno-cultural repression and ineffective state policies are correctly attributed as key culprits behind this re...
18 citations
TL;DR: The Sufism: A New History of Islamic Mysticism by Alexander Knysh as discussed by the authors is an audacious and audacious book, full of fascinating insights and carefully crafted arguments.
Abstract: Alexander Knysh’s Sufism: A New History of Islamic Mysticism is an ambitious and audacious book, full of fascinating insights and carefully crafted arguments. It is an important book that should be...
16 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider Central Asia a hot spot of climate change and a region prone to environmental migrations, growing aridity and the shrinking of glaciers may have important impacts.
Abstract: Increasingly, studies are considering Central Asia a ‘hot spot’ of climate change and a region prone to environmental migrations. Growing aridity and the shrinking of glaciers may have important im...
15 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors show how traditionalization is enforced by women in Tajikistan in the realm of marriage, focusing on the economic dimension of life cycle rituals: ritual expenditure an...
Abstract: This article aims to show how traditionalization is enforced by women in Tajikistan in the realm of marriage, focusing on the economic dimension of life cycle rituals: ritual expenditure an...
TL;DR: This article argued that state securitization of religion was counterproductive, heightening societal insecurity and promoting inter-ethnic conflict between Uyghur and Han communities, arguing that tightened regulations on religion and intrusive religious policing was the main catalyst for local retaliatory violence in 2012-2015.
Abstract: In Your Western Regions, My Turkestan (2007), Chinese dissident Wang Lixiong warned of the ‘Palestinization’ of the Xinjiang question, defined as reaching ‘a critical point in time’ where Uyghurs and Han Chinese enter an interminable ‘ethnic war’. Following the knife attack on Han civilians in Kunming (2014), seen by many as an act of Uyghur terror, Wang reminded us that he had foreseen this trajectory seven years earlier. This article outlines Wang’s six interpretations of ‘Palestinization’ in the Xinjiang context, then shows how tightened regulations on religion and intrusive religious policing was the main catalyst for local retaliatory violence in 2012–2015. I contend that state securitization of religion was counterproductive, heightening societal insecurity and promoting inter-ethnic conflict between Uyghur and Han communities. In Chen Quanguo’s era of ‘de-extremification’, the state’s purported attempt to ‘purify’ Islamic practice continues to be experienced on the ground as violation of pu...
TL;DR: The official Chinese view of the Uyghur Islamic revival is overwhelmingly dominant as mentioned in this paper, because of the extraordinary measures taken to shield from international view the actual developments in the regi...
Abstract: The official Chinese view of the Uyghur Islamic revival is overwhelmingly dominant. Because of the extraordinary measures taken to shield from international view the actual developments in the regi...
TL;DR: In the last two decades, mobile phones and new technologies have transformed migration and some scholars argue that they help empower migrants, who are otherwise often marginalized in their host count as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: In the last two decades, mobile phones and new technologies have transformed migration. Some scholars argue that they help empower migrants, who are otherwise often marginalized in their host count...
TL;DR: Order at the Bazaar as mentioned in this paper is a timely, in-depth discussion of the rise and development of private commercial bazaars in Kyrgyzstan in the two decades following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Abstract: Order at the Bazaar is a timely, in-depth discussion of the rise and development of private commercial bazaars in Kyrgyzstan in the two decades following the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is als...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed that air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels in developing counties is a global challenge due to its climate change and health effects, and that dirty fuel and air pollution have become a serious issue in ma...
Abstract: Air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels in developing counties is a global challenge due its climate change and health effects. Dirty fuel and air pollution have become a serious issue in ma...
TL;DR: Since its privatization in 1995, Kazakhstan's largest steel mill has been in a restructuring process characterized by workforce reduction, augmented pressure on remaining jobs and labour co-... as discussed by the authors, which has led to job losses at the steel mill.
Abstract: Since its privatization in 1995, Kazakhstan’s largest steel mill has been in a restructuring process characterized by workforce reduction, augmented pressure on remaining jobs and labour co...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on local public perceptions of different actors in Central Asia through the prism of their relationships with external powers, focusing on Central Asia's relationship with the United States.
Abstract: Though Central Asia is often studied through the prism of its relationships with external powers, research on local public perceptions of these different actors has largely been overlooked. The lit...
TL;DR: Tradition has come to play an important role throughout Central Asia in a number of new ways since independence, but has been predominantly investigated regarding nation building as discussed by the authors. In this paper, we focus on the role of tradition in Central Asia.
Abstract: Tradition has come to play an important role throughout Central Asia in a number of new ways since independence, but has been predominantly investigated regarding nation building. In this a...
TL;DR: With Blood Ties and the Native Son: Poetics of Patronage in Kyrgyzstan, Aksana Ismailbekova, one of the most widely published among the Central Asian studies scholars who originate from the region as discussed by the authors
Abstract: With Blood Ties and the Native Son: Poetics of Patronage in Kyrgyzstan, Aksana Ismailbekova, one of the most widely published among the Central Asian studies scholars who originate from the region,...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors outlined a number of possible pathways, such as diasporization, integrated national minority statu cation, and diaspora, for post-independence identity shifts among Kazakhstan's Russian-speaking minorities.
Abstract: Research into post-independence identity shifts among Kazakhstan’s Russian-speaking minorities has outlined a number of possible pathways, such as diasporization, integrated national minority statu ...
TL;DR: The Abdali Afghans-Pashtuns played a leading role in the creation of the Durrānī polity (est. 1747) as mentioned in this paper, the precursor of present-day Afghanistan.
Abstract: The Abdālī Afghans-Pashtuns played a leading role in the creation of the Durrānī polity (est. 1747) – the precursor of present-day Afghanistan. Given their lasting contributions to the proc...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focused on the institution of boarding schools in Tajikistan in the 1950s and 1960s and its role in the education and training of the new national generations.
Abstract: The study focuses on the institution of boarding schools (Russian: internat) in Soviet Tajikistan in the 1950s and 1960s and its role in the education and training of the new national generations o...
TL;DR: Based on an ethnographic case study of an Islamic university in Russia, this article examined how the state-implemented and bureaucratized traditionalization of Islam in Russia affects the everyday life.
Abstract: Based on an ethnographic case study of an Islamic university in Russia, I examine how the state-implemented and bureaucratized traditionalization of Islam in Russia affects the everyday lif...
TL;DR: In this article, the emergence and development of business partnerships established by the Mongols and their merchant partners, ortoqs, in the Middle Ages is investigated, and the relationship between the two groups is investigated.
Abstract: This study investigates the emergence and development of business partnerships established by the Mongols and their merchant partners, ortoqs, in the Middle Ages. Ortoqs are known to have conducted...
TL;DR: The authors examines the new ways to navigate family power dynamics among Muslim youth in contemporary Uzbekistan and examines how they navigate family hierarchies among themselves and their families in the context of migration of labour from Uzbekistan.
Abstract: This paper examines the new ways to navigate family power dynamics among Muslim youth in contemporary Uzbekistan. Migration of labour from Uzbekistan increased rapidly in the 2000s. When young work...
TL;DR: In the late Soviet Union, large-scale projects such as the Toktogul Dam in the Kyrgyz Soviet Republic were promoted as emblems of the Soviet model of development in Asia as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: In the late Soviet Union, large-scale projects such as the Toktogul Dam in the Kyrgyz Soviet Republic were promoted as emblems of the Soviet model of development in Asia. While Central Asia...
TL;DR: The current state-induced and top-down-implemented development and modernization of the predominantly rural areas of western China can be perceived as a clear demonstration of Chinese power in Tibe... as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The current state-induced and top-down-implemented development and modernization of the predominantly rural areas of western China can be perceived as a clear demonstration of Chinese power in Tibe...
TL;DR: In recent years, the Ilkhanate has received considerable attention, with publications including Bruno De Nicola and Charles Melville's essay collection The Mongols’ Middle East (2016) as well as La...
Abstract: In recent years, the Ilkhanate has received considerable attention, with publications including Bruno De Nicola and Charles Melville’s essay collection The Mongols’ Middle East (2016) as well as La...
Journal Article•