CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2010
| Author | Domashev, Nikolay |
|---|---|
| Title | Limits to kinship politics in Kyrgyzstan |
| Summary | In recent years, an important intellectual debate has emerged between social scientists on the issue of “clans” or informal political entities allegedly governing Central Asian states. While political scientists contend that “clans” signify existant kinship units exercising political power, anthropologists maintain that “clan” is an inaccurate term with no empirical basis. Aside from the theoretical importance of the research, the issue is important for practical purposes too: many international organizations and governments of foreign states base their assessments of the current situation and future prospects of the Central Asian countries on the discourse of “clans.” In my research, I examine the discursive reality of modern-day Kyrgyzstan in order to understand how the term is employed in the mass media. After surveying an abundance of Kyrgyzstani newspapers, TV programs, a sample network of Kyrgyzstan’s political and business leaders, and extensively investigating a number of theoretical models, it appears that the term “clan” is indeed ill-suited for analytical purposes as well as misleading when used to identify significant political actors. Instead, a much better analytical perspective – that of social networks – is suggested as a way to trace the origins of social and political power in modern Kyrgyzstani society. |
| Supervisor | Zentai, Violetta; Rigi, Jakob |
| Department | Sociology MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2010/domashev_nikolay.pdf |
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