Özbekistan'da ulusal kimliğin oluşumu: İmparatorluk, Sovyet ve Sovyet sonrası politikalar

This master's thesis examines the historical processes that have shaped Uzbekistan's national identity, tracing its evolution from Soviet times to independence. The study begins with theoretical foundations and analyses nationalism through primordialist, modernist (Gellner, Anderson), ethnosimvolistic (Smith), and postcolonial approaches. After that, the identity policy of Tsarist Russia in Turkestan is examined, including Russification, religious control, and cultural resistance by the Jadids. The Soviet period is analysed through the collapse of the Empire, the national policies of the Bolsheviks, and the strategy of "korenization" (localisation), which initially promoted local identity but later strengthened ideological subordination. During the national-territorial delimitation of 1924, the Soviet creation of Uzbekistan was presented as a top-down construction based on control and classification. Central concepts such as" friendship of peoples "and" socialist patriotism " served to integrate ethnic forms into a centrally controlled Soviet self. Recent chapters explore post-independence nation-building processes. In a context where a popular nationalist movement did not exist, the ruling elite utilised nationalism for a new purpose to ensure its legitimacy. This included rewriting history, promoting the Uzbek language and Islamic heritage, and institutionalising selective memory. While formal rhetoric emphasised civic solidarity, nation-building often reinforced the dominance of ethnic Uzbeks and opposed inclusive pluralism. In general, the dissertation emphasises that the national self of Uzbekistan is constructed through a combination of Soviet heritage and authoritarian rule, resulting in a hybrid, state-oriented self characterised by stability, centralisation, and ideological conformity. Keywords: National identity, Soviet nationality policy, Post-Soviet Uzbekistan, Nation-building, Jadidism, Russification, Korenizatsiya, Invented traditions, Authoritarian secularism, Postcolonial nationalism