Life at the Edge of the Empire: Oral Histories of Soviet Kyrgyzstan
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, we often forget the hardships of past generations under communism. Researchers continue to sift through archives and conduct interviews for a glimpse into the lives of these individuals. Yet even with such efforts, within Central Asia, many tales remain untold. One professor inspired by his own difficulties locating such resources set out to give these people a voice through the project titled Life at the Edge of the Empire: Oral Histories of Soviet Kyrgyzstan.
Interviewee Alexander Shafir (Photo Courtesy of Centralasianhistory.org)
Project Background
Across Eurasia, The spread of the communism introduced an alien ideology that forever transformed the region’s diverse peoples and cultures. Overnight entire ethnic communities were uprooted while others were forcibly sedentarized decimating once flourishing nomadic cultures. These draconian policies altered and even destroyed time-honored traditions for future generations to come.
A great deal of scholarship examines the effects of the Soviet experience amongst Russia and its Eastern European neighbors often overlooking Central Asia. Existing research exploring this legacy within Central Asia is characterized by scant efforts to account for the struggles faced by individuals in this region of the Soviet Union. When conducting his own research, scholar and Professor Sam Tranum encountered this problem first hand.
This 2 day festival on the northern shore of Lake IssykKul in the town of Cholpon-Ata draws the regions best hunting dogs, eagle hunters, and falcon handlers in all of Kyrgyzstan. Such festivities reflect the Kyrgyz people’s nomadic past.
The final event of the festival is only opened to the most respected Berktuchi and Taigen who must hunt a live wolf. This fierce and sometimes gory battle frequently results in mortal wounds. For the sake of sportsmanship, festival officials attempted to place a bit in the wolf’s mouth to no avail, settling for a heavy chain tethering her to a lead weight.
Within rural communities, Kyrgyz have long raised Taigen and trained Eagles to protect both the lives of their livestock and family. This captured wolf was responsible for killing 68 sheep, 20 cows, and 17 horses. Such an unfathomable number of lost cattle and sheep is enough to impoverish any community.
The following section is the final segment of a 3 part series.
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Central Asia is home to a comprehensive local and international effort to address existing socioeconomic and development challenges gripping the region. Vsevolod Ovcharenko, a native of Kazakhstan and recognized expert on non-profit law within Central Asia, has actively participated in such an effort. With over 10 years of experience, Vsevolod has provided legal support to NGOs through the International Center for Non-Profit Law (ICNL) in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Vsesvold, in a recent interview shared his impression of development in Central Asia. During the discussion, Ovarchenko defined development trends within the region highlighting the impact of Soviet nationalities policies, concluding with candid advice for development practitioners.
Development efforts according to Ovarchenko are focused on breaking away from the Soviet legacy in order to, “facilitate the transition from Soviet economics, legislation, and mentality towards more western oriented practices driven by market economics and good governance.”
Following the collapse, the region has also faced challenges in building interethnic cooperation, a problem clearly rooted in the region’s Soviet past. Specifically this issue can be traced back to Nationalities policies under the U.S.S.R., which redistributed populations and crafted new boundaries making modern Central Asia an ethnic melting pot. Such widespread ethnic diversity continues to pose a significant hurdle to effective state development, building regional cooperation, and enhancing the transition from the Soviet system, according to Ovcharenko.
Vsevolod offers candid advice to practitioners and scholars working in the development field throughout Central Asia. First and foremost, Vsevolod stressed the need to know the cultures and societies you are working in. “The ability to analyze and address problems can only be accomplished through a strong background in research and understanding of regional cultures and societies,” he said.
Ovarcharneko also commented on a common trend within the foreign development community of ignoring cultural institutions that have long played vital roles within Central Asian culture. He warned, “Development specialists must work within existing cultural institutions, they are functioning and should be used, not ignored. Yes, at times working within these institutions comes at the expense of transparency, but efficiency is maximized”
More often that not, development projects are controlled and dictated by rigid organizational and funding norms, which Vsevold claims to be a significant challenge when pursuing any development goals. He said, “Most challenging work requires a great deal of flexibility and compromise.” Advice, that nearly all practitioners hope to observe.
Ovcharenko is recent a recipient of the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship, which provides opportunities for students and professions from Eurasia to pursue degrees in the United States. He is currently studying at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
A sample of Vsevolod Ovcharenko’s work titled, “Government Financing of NGOs in Kazakhstan: Overview of a Controversial experience” can be found here.
