Russians in Republic of Uzbekistan: Demography, Identity, and Social Dynamics

Abstract

Introduction.The article analyzes the issues of demographic development, identity, and social dynamics among Russians on the basis of the field materials collected in the Republic of Uzbekistan in the period from 2011 to 2019. Methods and materials. Based on historical and anthropological approaches, the article proves that the term “Russians” in the context of Uzbekistan should be considered without ethnicization; Russian people in the Republic can’t be analyzed as a homogeneous ethnic group. It was revealed that the alternative denominations for this group are such terms as “Russian speaking” and “Europeans,” including the descendants of migrants to Central Asia during the time of the Russian Empire and the Soviet period. Analysis. It was proved that the demographic activities of Russian speaking ethnic groups (Russian Ukrainians, Tartars, and Koreans) in the Republic of Uzbekistan in the period from 1991 to 2021 are gradually decreasing. It was revealed that the dominant features of the social dynamics of Russian people in the period of sovereignty were: the loss of special legal and “symbolic” status; the realization of minority status; and dependence on state policy in the national sphere. Results. Russian people in Uzbekistan preserve “European” social-cultural identity and emphasize the borders with the national identity of the indigenous population of the region. During the period under research, the complex and diverse identity of the Russian population, including local and regional identity, has become stronger. The narrowing of the socio-economic profile of Russians in the cities of the Republic of Uzbekistan becomes a conspicuous phenomenon.