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The notion of “independence” in the official speeches of Central Asia presidents

Alimdzhanov A.A.,

St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia, ffortunatov@mail.ru

elibrary_id: 969144 | ORCID: 0000-0003-2950-0036 | RESEARCHER_ID: AAB-7360-2022

Article received: 2022.07.07. Accepted: 2022.11.12


DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2023.03.06
EDN: IVCKXX

Rubric: Theory and methodology of political studies

For citation:

Alimdzhanov A.A. The notion of “independence” in the official speeches of Central Asia presidents. – Polis. Political Studies. 2023. No. 3. P. 70-85. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2023.03.06. EDN: IVCKXX

Abstract

“Independence”, being a philosophical category, acquires concretization in political science and political discourse when it is binded to the notion of “sovereignty”. Using the example of the post-Soviet countries of Central Asia, the author examines the dynamics of the change in the notion of “independence” and attempts to conceptualize it. The study considers the speeches of the presidents of the Central Asian republics on Independence Day. The purpose of these speeches is to “explain” the meaning of “independence” to the people. The speeches of the presidents are analyzed using qualitative content analysis taking into account the historical context. The working hypothesis is that the mobilization and integration potential of the notion of “independence” is leveled by the narrativization of the notion. In the article, the historical and legal starting point for the development of the notion of “independence” is 1) the Soviet understanding of “sovereignty” and the Constitution of the USSR. The dynamics of attempts to comprehend and conceptualize the notion 2) by the intelligentsia in perestroika times, 3) by the authors of the CIS in 1991, who radicalized the notion, and 4) the post-Soviet official “presidential” understanding and interpretation are examined step by step. The author comes to the conclusion that the notion of “independence” still needs to be conceptualized, since it has not gained a systematic understanding through existing narratives. The notion has not yet been defined by considering its essential features and its manifestations in the political life of the society of post-Soviet Central Asia (i.e., no ontologization of the term has been carried out). The causes and consequences of the events of 1991 were not articulated in society and by academics in Central Asia.

Keywords

independence, sovereignty, political discourse, narrative, mythologization, conceptualization, mobilization and integration potential of Central Asia.

 Full Text

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