THE IMPACT OF THE PAST ON THE FUTURE OF CENTRAL ASIA*

The International Conference was held in Cambridge on March 13-14, 2014. It was organized by two Cambridge University centers: the Central Asian Forum and the Department for Development Studies. 35 researchers of the region from different countries were invited.

The conference was opened by Sidhart Saxena (Great Britain), who spoke about the history of the Central Asian Forum and the formation of new relations between Cambridge University and centers of science and culture inside and outside Central Asia. He took revenge on the importance of such meetings for researchers. Further, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United Kingdom Otabek Akbarov delivered a speech. He spoke about the formation of new relations between Uzbekistan and other Central Asian republics, with an emphasis on environmental issues.

The scientific discussion was initiated by the key report "The Gap in Central Asian Politics: Recent and long history" by the renowned Central Asian researcher Sally Cummings1 (Great Britain). She stressed that the main paradox of today's Central Asia is the continuing polarity: on the one hand, the region is recognized as central, on the other - it still remains isolated. According to the author of the report, Central Asia is a metageographic combination with a large number of arbitrary interpretations.

The conference was divided into nine sections.

The first section consisted of two reports. Camila Hageland (Great Britain) made a presentation on "Regional economic integration in Central Asia and its impact on extra-regional trade potential". The topic of Aigul Izayeva's presentation (Kazakhstan) is "Comparative analysis of economic factors affecting exports and imports to the South Caucasus countries". Both presentations were distinguished by the latest calculations on the socio-economic development of the two regions.

* English name of the conference: "The" Post "and the" Past "in Central Asia's Future".

¹ Author of more than 10 books on post-Soviet republics. Her latest publication, Understanding Central Asia (Routlcdgc, 2012), sparked a broad wave of academic discussion.

The second section had its own innovative framework. Philipp Lotthols (Germany) in his report "On the hybridization of historical heritage in society and politics" presented it as a process that prevails in preserving post-Soviet practices and institutions throughout the region. Vidi Mehran (Afghanistan), in her report "Privatizing Public administration: Are former commanders the new Democratic bureaucrats of Afghanistan?", showed that there is a special security vacuum created by the current opposition between the center and the periphery in Afghanistan. This practice is effectively maintained by former commanders and should probably be taken into account when designing new institutions of power in official Kabul.

In the third section, presentations were devoted to Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Maruzio Giuseppe Torato (Great Britain) in his report "Neutralization and' Ethnicization ' of Islam in Soviet and post-Soviet Azerbaijan "compared the Soviet vision of Islam and the logic of modern state ideology in relation to religion in independent Azerbaijan. Although the old principles prevail in power structures, it is becoming more difficult for people to balance the values of Islamic culture and the rules of civil society. Marzan Thomas (Great Britain) presented his view on the problems of socio-economic development of Kazakhstan in the report "Analysis of the state of the population, air emissions and average wages in Kazakhstan as representative indicators of social, economic and environmental sustainability". The researcher presented the latest data indicating contradictory trends in the modern development of Kazakhstan.

Experts on Ossetia and Kyrgyzstan were involved in the fourth section. Nika Ventolt (Great Britain) in her report "Formation of nationalities in South Ossetia: the EU and OSCE intervention in South Ossetia in 1992-2004" examined the history of the emergence and development of the conflict in South Ossetia, which influenced the formation of a new identity. The very phenomenon of identity in this part of the Caucasus is highly politicized. Valeria Melnichuk (Kyrgyzstan), in her report "Maintaining the informal network and the process of accessing health services in Kyrgyzstan", drew on a recent sociological study that focused on the development of the informal network in transition countries, including Kyrgyzstan. The report of Fiona Natush (UK) was devoted to "The evolution of social entrepreneurship in the Kyrgyz Republic based on the study of the Central Asian Handicraft Association". The presentation provided an overview of current trends in the development of the craft sector, including how Kyrgyz artisans represent the process of changing their professional trajectory, adapting it to new market conditions.

The fifth session was called "missionary", as all its representatives had a closer connection with the region represented than the previous speakers. Munira Shahidi (Tajikistan), in her report "Central Asia: A Movement of scientists and artists for life", noted the significant contribution of well-known Cambridge University scholars, such as E. G. Brown, Reynold Nicholson, and John Arbury, to the study of Farsi-Tajik literature. In her opinion, the traditional "Western" approach to the history of literary thought isolates the dynamics of literary and cultural thought in Central Asia, insufficiently taking into account the process of interpenetration of different cultures in the region and thus continuing to influence the modern generation of researchers in the region. Although Tajik scientists in the post-Soviet region have discovered a whole layer of materials on the history and culture of the region unknown to Europe, including Cambridge University, they are still ignored by modern scientists in the West.

Rakhima Abduvaliyeva (Aitmatov Academy, Great Britain) presented the report "Great Kirghiz" dedicated to Chingiz Aitmatov. She gave a critical review of the painstaking work of German translators on the perception of the famous writer of Central Asia in Europe. Ch. Aitmatov in 1994 received the prize of Austria as the most widely read writer (writing in Russian) in the German-speaking world. Then he received the Lev Kopelev Foundation award in the same category. Translations of his books in English are gaining more and more recognition in the world.

Nargis Nurulla-Khodjaeva (Russia) made a presentation on "Nationalism and community values in the Eurasian space". The current imperative defense of antithetical ideals of freedom, introduced by Western sponsors throughout the region, leads to a different interpretation of civil society. In Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, this concept (despite its pro-Western framework) increasingly includes informal trust relationships, cultural and symbolic factors, community institutions, etc. This largely leads to contradictions-

At the same time, it encourages interest in local communities that have been less dependent on the state and the market throughout the history of this region. The community was not only a carrier of traditions, but also a domain in which democratic ideals based on the local code of behavior and upbringing were preserved. Community relations have traditionally been based on trust, which in turn has led to solidarity, a necessary condition for collective action by civil institutions. However, this approach contrasts with the principles of individualization introduced by the market and nation-States throughout the region. The report presented the community as a strategically important element in building a new civil society in the region.

Adib Khalil (USA) in his report "Past and post-Soviet experience and its impact on the future of Central Asia "emphasized that most experts put Soviet Central Asia and other colonies of modern European states on the same level. But, in his view, European colonial governance was based on perpetuating the difference between the colonies and the mother country, while the Soviets tried to level out and eliminate the existing differences.

At the sixth session, Zhanar Zhampeissova (Kazakhstan) presented a list of sources in her report "Imperial statistical research in the Kazakh steppes in the late XIX - early XX centuries: defining nomadic communities and their borders", justifying the conclusion that field work on collecting information in the Kazakh steppes conducted by researchers of that period played a double role. On the one hand, this complex strengthened the Russian colonial presence, and on the other, it reinforced the tendencies of fragmentation in society itself. Mathias Battisu (Great Britain), in his report "Liberation Orientalism in Soviet Central Asia", directed the discussion in a different direction. The speaker spoke about the period of formation of Tajik Oriental studies, when there was an active discussion between existing schools and areas of Oriental studies (in this case, correspondence between A.M. Mirzoev and A. A. Semenov). The report "Soviet Central Asia as a project of the future for Third World countries" by Artem Kalinovsky (Netherlands) was devoted to the problem of formation and development of relations between Soviet republics and Middle Eastern states.

At the seventh session, Lucille Lizac (France) presented a different view on the problem of Soviet heritage in her report "Soviet Thinking Frameworks in the post-Soviet music of Tashkent". She noted that in recent years there has been quite a lot of research in the field of culture (in particular music), representing culture as the most important link in the social life of countries. However, real politics differs from theoretical calculations. Research on cultural policy is mostly weak, cultural statistics are lacking, and it is difficult to find researchers involved in the evolution of cultural programs. Birgit Beumers (Great Britain) presented "Front Projection: Visual experiments with national traditions in recent films of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan". The researcher presented her contribution to the conceptual scheme of modern modernism, telling about her vision of new projects in the mentioned republics. Galina Wood's report "From the Lahij fortress to the" melting pot "of Baku" focused on the formation of state ideology and its impact on different groups of the country's population.

Speakers at the section on "Cooperation and confrontation in the energy sector" were: Nikolay Kolee (Bulgaria) "Emerging Market beyond FDI: a comparative study of Chinese and Russian oil companies in Kazakhstan", Sergey Orazgaliyev (Kazakhstan) "Oil Resources management in Kazakhstan: Management evolution, institutions and partnerships" and Kauveri Ganapati (India)"Indian Vision: Energy in Eurasia". The reports were distinguished by a well-founded and detailed analysis of the selected areas.

The last section was devoted to the problems of the state and society. The first two reports were distinguished by their ethnographic orientations: Matlyuba Wakefield (Great Britain) presented the report "Transformation of consumer practices related to spending on weddings, funerals and other life cycles of ritual practices in Uzbekistan"; Diana Ibanez-Tiraldo (Great Britain) presented the report "Before" and "After" as time categories among Kulyab women south of Tajikistan". Both presentations were accompanied by video footage. Mumtoz Kamolzoda (Tajikistan) based her report "State-building and National Identity in post-Soviet Central Asia"on a large theoretical material.

In conclusion, Sidhart Saxena stressed that the conference showed the importance of studying the dynamics of regional development (Caucasus and Central Asia) in an interdisciplinary light.

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