Diasporic and Transnational Social Practices in Central Asia

Abstract

Diaspora has become such a popular concept in recent years because it so effectively challenges the authenticity of the nation‐state and the bounded identities it supports. A core premise of this critique is that not every diaspora or nation‐state is the same. An ideal context in which to explore this idea is the region of Central Asia. Transnational practices emerging among dispersed members of each state's population draw into question the very idea of diaspora as connoting a condition of displacement and nation as relating to a discreet territorially fixed identity community. The complexity of the diasporic form among Central Asia's dispersed communities highlights the need to be mindful of the material, historical, and political settings within which individuals and groups create and sustain their own social and cultural networks. This essay reviews major debates and offers a survey of diasporic conditions within Central Asia.