Linguistic Revivalism and National Identity in Uzbekistan

Abuzar Khairi

International Studies, 2016, vol. 53, issue 3-4, 258-272

Abstract: Uzbekistan became an independent and sovereign state in 1991. Earlier, it was part of the Tsarist and Communist ideological states which sought to assimilate its centuries-old religious, cultural and linguistic identities. After disintegration of the Soviet Union, the new regime rejected the communist ideals and committed itself to fostering all-round development of historical, national and cultural traditions of the people of Uzbekistan. The new regime exchanged the Soviet hammer and sickle for traditional symbols of nation-hood—a flag, an anthem and new holidays ranging from the national/political (Flag Day and Independence Day) to the cultural (Novroz). After 25 years of independence, Uzbekistan seems successful in all fields. It has developed its own strategy for renewal of the society, known as Uzbek Model. All Central Asian republics embarked upon the path of self-discovery and national reconstruction to rest their worldview into their own specific cultural and linguistic moorings. They are reviving and reshaping their economy, history, language and national identity in the process of regaining their pre-soviet legacy. For this, each republic is reinvigorating its linguistic distinctiveness as a vehicle for expressing national identity. This article deals with the revival of Uzbek language and national identity in the post-independence period.

Keywords: Uzbekistan; Golden Horde; alphabet; Latin; Cyrillic; national identity; Birlik; Shahnama; Jadid movement; Uzbek tili va adabiyat (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:intstu:v:53:y:2016:i:3-4:p:258-272

DOI: 10.1177/0020881718760355

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