How Timur Replaced Lenin: Uzbek Museums as Arenas and Agents of Change

• In Event: Perestroika from Below: From Shared Soviet Space to Divergent Local Histories

Abstract

Museums and cultural sites in Uzbekistan were declared and promoted as part of the diverse Soviet cultural heritage. Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva could be explored on a tourist route and formed the most exotic part of a voyage of discovery through the Soviet Union. Various Uzbek museums, such as the Lenin Museum or the Museums of Fine Arts in Tashkent and in Nukus, served as proof that a high level of culture existed in all parts of the country. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the declaration of Uzbek independence, the process of decolonisation also affected the cultural sector. This posed enormous challenges for specialists such as archaeologists and museum professionals trained in the Russian-influenced Soviet educational system. They had to reinterpret exhibitions and ensure the safety of collections in extremely difficult economic conditions. At the same time, there were new opportunities for international cooperation and recognition. The paper examines the various processes of reorganisation in Uzbek cultural institutions with a focus on museums. It explores ruptures and continuities and analyses the tension between the formation of an independent national culture and the permanence of Soviet and Russian knowledge and practices.

Author

• Corinna Kuhr-Korolev, Centre for Contemporary History (Germany)