Linguistic Revivalism and National Identity in Uzbekistan
| Author | Abuzar Khairi |
| Published date | 01 July 2016 |
| Date | 01 July 2016 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0020881718760355 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Linguistic Revivalism
and National Identity
in Uzbekistan
Abuzar Khairi1
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 commit-
ted 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 expressin g
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
Article
International Studies
53(3–4) 258–272
2018 Jawaharlal Nehru University
SAGE Publications
sagepub.in/home.nav
DOI: 10.1177/0020881718760355
http://journals.sagepub.com/home/isq
1 Associate Professor, Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India.
Corresponding author:
Abuzar Khairi, Associate Professor, Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi,
India.
E-mail: abuzar.khairi@gmail.com
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