This book examines the development of Uzbekistan’s international relations since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Over the past three decades, Uzbekistan has attracted the attention of the academic and policy communities because of its geostrategic importance, its critical role in shaping or unshaping Central Asia as a region, its economic and trade potential, and its demographic weight: every other Central Asian being Uzbek, Uzbekistan’s political, social, and cultural evolutions largely exemplify the transformations of the region as a whole. And yet, more than 25 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, evaluating Uzbekistan’s post-Soviet transformation remains complicated. Practitioners and scholars have seen access to sources, data, and fieldwork progressively restricted since the early 2000s. The death of President Islam Karimov, in power for a quarter of century, in late 2016, reopened the future of the country, offering it more room for evolution. To better grasp the challenges facing post-Karimov Uzbekistan, this volume reviews nearly three decades of independence. In the first part, it discusses the political construct of Uzbekistan under Karimov, based on the delineation between the state, the elite, and the people, and the tight links between politics and economy. The second section of the volume delves into the social and cultural changes related to labor migration and one specific trigger – the difficulties to reform agriculture. The third part explores the place of religion in Uzbekistan, both at the state level and in society, while the last part looks at the renegotiation of collective identities.

This new study by the President of Uzbekistan focuses on the country's special opportunities and challenges as it faces the 21st century. From the mid-19th century onwards, the people of Uzbekistan were under the yoke of Tsarist Russia, and later under the yoke of the Soviet Communist Empire, which made this land of unique natural and mineral resources a mere raw-material appendix. Fortunately, Uzbekistan has a huge potential for the establishment and successful development of foreign economic relations for an active participation in global economic relations. One of these potentials lies in the specific geostrategic situation of the country, which can be a bridge between the West and East. Other potentials are the valuable and needed mineral resources, the agricultural products and the advance economic, manufacturing and social infrastructure.

An examination of the geography, history, government, economy, culture, and peoples of Uzbekistan.

Follow the Silk Road—and color! “A joy . . . a beautiful book about the arts, craft, and architecture of Uzbekistan.” —Olga Núñez Miret, author of the Angelic Business series Like the fascinating culture that comes to life between its pages, Uzbekistan: An Experience of Cultural Treasures to Color will take you on a journey of discovery from the blue and gold splendors of Samarkand to the intricacy of sacred mosaics. It’s the perfect way for you and your children to explore Uzbekistan’s rich cultural heritage, taking us along the Silk Road from fifth century architecture to modern-day artists. As we turn the pages, exquisite full-color photographs transport us to some of the world’s most magnificent architectural monuments. From palaces through mosques, madrasahs and mausoleums, we wend our way amongst masterpieces of Islamic architecture, marveling at the captivating mosaics with their complex geometric patterns or motifs inspired by the world of plants and mythological beasts. Fascinating and vibrant, they testify to the skill and craftsmanship of historic Uzbek masters. As a tribute to this rich heritage, Uzbekistan: An Experience of Cultural Treasures to Color is a celebration of the arts and pictorial traditions of this fascinating land. Photographs of architectural monuments, murals, ceramics, tapestries and ornamented textiles highlight the country’s cultural treasures. Short accompanying texts explain their historical significance. On the right-hand page, the reader is given the opportunity to color in drawings based on the beautiful photographs provided. “A gorgeous book for grownups who want to get their coloring on.” —Cayocosta 72

Winner of the Association of Women in Slavic Studies Heldt Prize Winner of the Central Eurasian Studies Society History and Humanities Book Award Honorable mention for the W. Bruce Lincoln Prize Book Prize from the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies (AAASS) This groundbreaking work in women's history explores the lives of Uzbek women, in their own voices and words, before and after the Russian Revolution of 1917. Drawing upon their oral histories and writings, Marianne Kamp reexamines the Soviet Hujum, the 1927 campaign in Soviet Central Asia to encourage mass unveiling as a path to social and intellectual "liberation." This engaging examination of changing Uzbek ideas about women in the early twentieth century reveals the complexities of a volatile time: why some Uzbek women chose to unveil, why many were forcibly unveiled, why a campaign for unveiling triggered massive violence against women, and how the national memory of this pivotal event remains contested today.

Travel & holiday.