Soviet in Form, “Uzbek” in Content
History and Museumisation in Uzbekistan
Henning Lautenschläger, Moritz Sorg, Max Trecker
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Uzbekistan's assessment of its own Soviet past is contradictory. On the one hand, the elite strives to set itself apart from the Soviet Union. On the other hand, it comes from the Soviet era. The elites from back then now control the country’s politics and economy. On the one hand, the regime is trying to gain legitimacy for national independence and the current political order. On the other hand, a marked Soviet nostalgia prevails in society. History policy and state museums present the Soviet Union as the continuation of Central Asia’s subjugation to tsarist rule, which was characterised by colonial exploitation and an asymmetry of power between centre and periphery. But at the same time, Uzbeks have allegedly always been able to assert themselves culturally by resisting foreign oppressors. The elite legitimises the continuity of its rule by presenting itself as having always been inclined to Uzbek national sentiment.
(Osteuropa 6-7/2016, pp. 237–252)