THE USA JOURNALS
THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE LAW AND CRIMINOLOGY (ISSN- 2693-0803)
VOLUME 06 ISSUE06
10
https://www.theamericanjournals.com/index.php/tajpslc
PUBLISHED DATE: - 10-06-2024
DOI: -
https://doi.org/10.37547/tajpslc/Volume06Issue06-02
PAGE NO.: - 10-14
CONFLICTS OF NATIONAL IDENTITY
FORMATION IN THE POST-COMMUNIST
SPACE (IN THE CASE OF POST-COMMUNIST
UZBEKISTAN)
Anvar Kadyrov
Professor of the Department of Political Sciences, University of Journalism and Mass
Communications of Uzbekistan
INTRODUCTION
August 31, 1991 was an important historical and
political event in connection with the appearance
of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the world political
map, one of the major countries of the Central
Asian region. Almost 130 years of national
independence were put to an end by Tsarist Russia
and then by the Bolsheviks, and the way to
sovereign national development was opened. As a
result, not only a necessity, but also a real
opportunity to realize national and regional
identity, independent national development
appeared.
The transformational processes that took place in
the political, economic and social spheres,
especially the step-by-step process of transition to
free market relations, showed the existence of
previously unrecognized social problems, and that
it is impossible to switch from the old, totalitarian
communist system to a liberal, democratic system
in one jump. [1.512]. It turned out that such a
problem is one of the main obstacles to the
deocratization of society, especially in the
mentality of people and society, in the field of social
consciousness.
In our opinion, the reason for the weak and slow
progress of democratic reforms in the post-
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Abstract
THE USA JOURNALS
THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE LAW AND CRIMINOLOGY (ISSN- 2693-0803)
VOLUME 06 ISSUE06
11
https://www.theamericanjournals.com/index.php/tajpslc
communist social space is that the communist
worldview formed during the time of the former
socialist regime remained in people's minds and
came into irreconcilable conflict with the values of
the new, democratic way of thinking and
worldview.
The post-colonial, post-communist people of
Uzbekistan, after gaining national independence on
August 31, 1991, moved to market relations for the
first time in their lives, from the Soviet totalitarian,
centrally planned economy to free market
relations, the process of democratic transition
began in the society. As a result, an important
moral problem appeared in front of the society -
stereotypes formed under the influence of state
monopoly in a long historical period, national
character formed a conflict relationship with the
star of liberalism-free market relations and the
psychology of private production. [2.24].
The Main Findings and Results
The totalitarian regime used the qualities of
entrepreneurship, creativity, and initiative, which
were formed in the mentality of the local people
during the long historical period, and in the first
place, the immunity of private property ownership.
Under the conditions of such a system, negative
qualities such as arrogance and laxity were formed.
Such qualities are completely contrary to universal
human values, such as free thinking and free
creative activity, characteristic of liberal
democratic societies.
Historically, the peoples of Central Asia were
formed under the influence of the Great Silk Road,
the economic, cultural and educational relations
developed for a long time between the East and the
West.
The communist society, based on state monopoly,
voluntarism, and any kind of free thought was
emphasized, had a negative impact on the ability of
individual thinking.
As a result of this, the psychology of interpassivity
was formed in the mentality of the society, the
state's repressive policy alienated people from
creative work skills. [3.34]. Achieving national
independence, increasing the vital need for
freedom and democratization in the life of the
communist political regime created a need for
transformation processes in society and human
mentality. Awareness of national identity, interest
in national identity is strong in society. In the
conditions of independent Uzbekistan, the 90s of
the 20th century led to an increase in interest in
religious identity.
In a society where religion is completely separated
from the state and dominated by dogmatic
secularism, the identification of national identity
with religious identity formed a social desire that
turned into a theocratic, religious state instead of a
democratic state.
The first layer of the political elite, the political
nomenclature, which was the successor of the
former communist regime, under the influence of
political inertia, adopted a repressive policy
against the supporters of theocratic statehood. It
was a natural phenomenon. After all, the highest
stage of the national mentality - the political
mentality - could not completely recover from the
influence of "militant" atheism, which was typical
for the Soviet system at that time.
As a result, irreconcilable spiritual conflicts were
formed between the supporters of religious and
democratic statehood in the society, religious
extremists and terrorist protest movements
against the official policy appeared, and social
division occurred in the spiritual life of the society.
It became known that this led to a number of social,
historical and mental differences.
The first reason, in our opinion, is that although the
post-communist political reality is a monotheistic
social reality, each ethno-cultural territory and
region has its own unique characteristics. For
example, the ethnogenesis of ethnic Uzbeks from
the peoples of Central Asia led a more settled life,
they differed somewhat from the lifestyles of ethnic
Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Karakalpaks and other peoples.
The mentality of these ethnic groups also differed
from each other. Sedentary lifestyle led ethnic
Uzbeks to some mental differences.
The Islamization of the peoples of Central Asia from
the end of the 7th century led to the softening of
these differences. However, ethnic Uzbeks and
Tajiks, who lived mainly in cities based on a
THE USA JOURNALS
THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE LAW AND CRIMINOLOGY (ISSN- 2693-0803)
VOLUME 06 ISSUE06
12
https://www.theamericanjournals.com/index.php/tajpslc
nomadic lifestyle, were mentally different from the
nomadic peoples of Central Asia. The peoples of
Central Asia achieved their centuries-old dream of
independent development after being freed from
the authoritarian Soviet system. However, the
interest in realizing the national self and national
identity was first observed in the field of folk
literature and ethnoculture, but now it has started
to manifest itself in an openly political form. This is
especially evident in the issue of the legitimacy of
the national language. Among the nations of
Central Asia, the ethnic Uzbek people took the lead
in realizing their national identity. On October 21,
1989, two years before achieving national
independence, the Uzbek language gained the
legitimacy of the state language. This confirms that
the level of political consciousness and political
culture of the Uzbek people is one of the leading
nations among other Central Asian nations. There
are several reasons for this fact.
The ethnic Uzbeks, who historically lead a
sedentary lifestyle, are the founders of the
statehood traditions of Central Asia. This was done
by the medieval Timurids, Baburis, Shaibanis,
states such as the Kukan and Khiva khanates and
the Bukhara Emirate, which existed on the world
political map until the Russian invasion of the 11th
and early 20th centuries. All the peoples of Central
Asia were under the control of these countries. This
socio-political situation has also formed a unique
regional mentality. The striving for mutual
economic, cultural, educational and political
integration of the independent young democratic
states of Central Asia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,
Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, is
appropriate both historically and naturally. Central
Asia will become a geopolitical entity with equal
rights in global geopolitics only on the basis of
regional integration.
In this sense, understanding of national identity is
possible only through understanding of regional
identity, development and strengthening of mutual
historical friendship, brotherhood and good
neighborly relations of the peoples of the region.
This is the dream and noble goal of today's political
leaders of the region.
In the post-communist space, national limitation
and national isolation (isolationism) will inevitably
lead to negative consequences.
There is strength in unity and harmony. 130 years
of Central Asia living like ashes under the violent
policy of the Russian Empire, distorting its
language, history, and religious beliefs and almost
turning it into a "mankurt" through alienation from
them, disunity, mutual discord and national
limitations have destroyed the civilization of
Central Asia. Living history testifies to the fact that
it can become dependent on great powers [3.37.].
National identity takes place in a conflicting
context in the post-communist social space. The
content and vector of such conflict is related to
various factors. The first and most important factor
is related to communist education and mentality.
Achieving
national
independence
cannot
automatically destroy the morale of the society, the
stereotypes that were instilled in the minds of
people and society by the Soviet ideology for a long
time through the system of education and training,
official policy, learned habits and skills are
preserved due to the influence of inertia. [5.17].
The values of a liberal, democratic society, mainly
human freedoms, conflict with the perceptions and
concepts learned in the society in the post-
communist social space, preventing new values
from settling in the life of the society.
The second, one of the most important factors is the
factor of religious belief. National identity means
that the Muslim population who achieved national
independence understood that they should return
to the Islamic faith, which was emphasized by the
Soviet atheistic ideology, and the supporters of the
theocratic state appeared. Of course, a real
democracy supports one of the human rights -
freedom of religious belief. Another important
feature of democracy is tolerance. If the problem is
approached logically through the deductive
method, freedom of religious belief means respect
and equal treatment of religious beliefs. The first
and most important requirement for realizing
national identity is mutual respect, friendship and
tolerance between representatives of different
religious beliefs. In a multi-ethnic, multi-
confessional society, inter-ethnic equal rights,
mutual friendly relations and social harmony are
THE USA JOURNALS
THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE LAW AND CRIMINOLOGY (ISSN- 2693-0803)
VOLUME 06 ISSUE06
13
https://www.theamericanjournals.com/index.php/tajpslc
the guarantee of national identity, that is, progress
and development.
National and religious sentiments are like
landmines capable of detonating with a single
impulse.
If it is left alone, if it is formed spontaneously, it will
have negative consequences, it will interfere with
sustainable development, it is like a mine, it should
be formed and managed on a scientific basis.
CONCLUSIONS
1.
The process of economic, political, legal and
cultural-educational modernization, renewal and
democratization of society and state life in the
postcolonial social space is highly controversial. It
is impossible to jump from one political system to
another, it is impossible to bypass the stage of
democratic transition that takes place naturally.
Such axiomatic rule is based on the expansion of
the feudal backward Turkestan region of Central
Asia in the beginning of the 20th century by Tsarist
Russia and the colonial policy carried out by the
Soviets, as well as the nonsense of the communist
ideologues that the peoples of Central Asia
"skipped the capitalist stage of socialism" and
"voluntarily joined Russia by the peoples of
Turkestan". "myths" confirmed historically.
2.
It is impossible to speed up or slow down the
historical process - it has laws that do not depend
on human consciousness. Historically, post-
colonial post-communist Central Asia with
traditions
of
voluntarist,
authoritarian
paternalistic management, and communist
totalitarian management in Western Europe in the
18th century B. Spinoza. F. Bacon. G. Grotsi, S.
Montesque, J. Locke. The ideas about the need to
ensure the natural human rights, the requirement
of democratic management and the separation of
powers put forward by T. Hobbs are undergoing
the process of implementation in the life of the
state and society. In this process, the "catch-up"
strategy is in effect. In this regard, Z. Brzezinski,
one of the patriarchs of political science of the 20th
century, gave his assessment of the state of
democratic transition in the Central Asian region in
his work entitled "The Great Chessboard".
3.
National identity in post-communist
Uzbekistan, although the main obstacle to its
formation - the communist ideology - has been
eliminated, still does not have a vector for finding a
solution.
4.
This can be observed in the post-communist
space in the preservation of social and mental ills
of the former Soviet system - corruption, feudalism,
feudalism, etc. [7.15]. In the post-communist social
space, national identity is a geostrategic
phenomenon directly related to the issue of
national and regional stability
5.
National identity is a component of social
identity. Social identity must meet philosophical,
political and legal requirements - it must reflect not
only the spirituality and culture of an ethnic unit,
but also the social characteristics of an entire
society. [9.18]. A simple example: "American" in the
US does not refer to the mentality of any particular
ethnic group, but to the multicultural unity of the
country as a whole. [6.19].
5. In multi-ethnic and multi-confessional societies,
national identity refers not only to the culture and
spirituality of the titular nation, but to the people
who live in this social space and have equal citizen
status.
REFERENCES
1.
Мирзиёев Ш.Маънавият хаётимизда янги
куч, янги харакатга айланиши керак,
\
Янги
Ўзбекистон тарихи журнали.2023,4
-
сон.
2.
Новейшая история
Ўзбекистана.Т.:”Адабиёт
учқунлари”, 2018
-
52 с.
3.
Алимжанов Бахтиёр. Ўзанини излаётган
ўзлик.
\
”Тафаккур” журнали. 2023.
-3-
сон.
4.
Эриксон Э. Идентичность: юность и
кризис.М.:Флинта МПСИ, Прогресс.2017.
5.
М. Бекмуратов.Ўзбек менталитети. Т.,2011.
6.
Седова А.И.Национальная идентичность:
тенденции
трансформации.
\\
Гуманитарный вектор.
2022.№2.
7.
Имомназаров М.,Эшмухамедова М.Миллий
маънавиятимиз
асослари.
-
Т.:Тошкент
ислом университети. 2001.
-
436 б.
THE USA JOURNALS
THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE LAW AND CRIMINOLOGY (ISSN- 2693-0803)
VOLUME 06 ISSUE06
14
https://www.theamericanjournals.com/index.php/tajpslc
8.
Rumer B. Central Asia: 15 yars after \\Central
Asian Affairs. Almaty, Kaz.iss \\ 2005 #1. P. 2-
12.
9.
Мадаева Ш.Идентитлик антропологияси. –
Т.:2011.
