Uzbek Museums: Between Decolonization and Persistence

• In Event: Memory Culture in Post-Soviet Museums

Abstract

Uzbekistan's break with the Soviet state was less radical than in other republics. The ruling elite remained unchanged. Though the economic system was transformed, no democratic and liberal order was established. However, the question of the foundations of its national identity had to be addressed by the newly independent Uzbek state. An examination of the country's museums shows that, on the one hand, the legacy of Soviet nationalities policy and ethnography lives on, while, on the other, the demand for decolonization has gained influence. In my paper, I will describe the coexistence of competing historical narratives in Uzbekistan's contemporary museum landscape and discuss why a profound debate about the Soviet past has not yet taken place.

Author

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