From Housing Struggles to Political Mobilization: Grassroots Activism in Late Soviet Central Asia

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

The late Soviet period in Central Asia witnessed the emergence of grassroots movements that redefined the relationship between citizens and the state. While often marginalized in broader narratives of Soviet collapse, these movements played a critical role in articulating demands for social justice, environmental protection, and national self-determination. This panel explores how everyday struggles over housing, land, and ecological devastation became central to political mobilization in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan during the transformative years of Perestroika.

Drawing on oral histories, archival materials, and social movement theory, the panel presents four case studies that shed light on the intersection of structural inequalities, civic agency, and decolonial aspirations in the region. The first paper examines the hidden dynamics of Kyrgyz housing strategies in the 1970s–1980s, revealing how informal networks and adaptive practices allowed marginalized communities to navigate discriminatory state policies. The second paper rethinks the role of Kyrgyz grassroots movements such as "Ashar" and the Democratic Movement of Kyrgyzstan, positioning them as key drivers of the republic's path toward independence. The third paper situates the Nevada-Semey anti-nuclear movement within the framework of global anti-colonial struggles, challenging dominant narratives that overlook Central Asia's political engagement. The final paper revisits the 1989 land seizures around Frunze, arguing that these actions represented a form of socialist justice rather than merely nationalist claims-making.

Sub Unit

• History: 1945-1990

Chair

• Mukaram Toktogulova, American U of Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan)

Papers

• Grassroots Activism and Kyrgyz Independence: The Role of Social Movements During Perestroika - Mukaram Toktogulova, American U of Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan)

• Housing Disparity and Immobility: The Kyrgyz Experience in Soviet Frunze - Baitur Toktosunov, Esimde Platform (Kyrgyzstan)

• On a Razor’s Edge: Housing, Protest, and Social(ist) Justice in Late Soviet Kyrgyzstan - Madeleine Reeves, U of Oxford (UK)

• Nevada-Semey Anti-Nuclear Movement: Placing the Soviet Union into the Framework of Global Colonialism - Kamila Smagulova, Leiden U (Netherlands)

Discussant

• Elmira Nogoibaeva, Esimde Platform (Kyrgyzstan)