Theories on Central Asian factionalism: the debate in political science and its wider implications

Cheating the Machine: E-voting Practices in Kyrgyzstan’s Local Elections

“…The phenomenon of clans, as determined by the author, is an 'informal identity network based on kinship ties' (Collins 2004, 171). On the other hand, Radnitz (2005) and Gullette (2007) argue that contemporary Kyrgyz society has only 'genealogical imagination' of clans.…”

Nur Otan, Informal Networks and the Countering of Elite Instability in Kazakhstan: Bringing the ‘Formal’ Back In

“…Some scholars assert there is an overemphasis on the familial kinship based identity of these informal clan networks in Central Asia and that instead they are situated on regional identities constructed by the Soviets elites of the1920s and 1930s (Jones Luong, 2002;Cummings, 2000). Recent work, however, denotes the delineation along either clan or regional lines underestimates the complexity of these networks (Tunçer-Kılavuz, 2009, Gulette, 2007, Radnitz, 2005. These informal networks are multifarious they 'draw on various loyalties including ties of family, friendship, work, education, and patron-client relationships.…”

Cycles of Decentralization in the Post-Soviet Space

“…This is largely connected with the personnel policy of the Soviet period, which helped to preserve and develop traditional regional clans. 7 Nevertheless, in Uzbekistan attempts by rival "regional clans" to take part in the competition for power have quickly been checked by the central authorities. The republic of Karakalpakstan, which is formally invested with significant prerogatives, in reality possesses hardly any meaningful autonomy.…”