Ethnic Differentiation, Interethnic Relations and Conflict: The Case of Uzbeks in Kazakhstan.

This research is part of the comparative research project on “Ethnic Differentiation, Interethnic Relations and Conflict in Central Asia: The Case of Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kazakstan”.

The project examines in a theory-oriented and comparative way processes of ethnic differentiation and inter-ethnic relations in four states where Uzbeks form a significant minority. Three of them, namely Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, have in recent years experienced conflicts of varying scale, in which Uzbeks have been more or less strongly involved. Kazakstan, which so far has been spared from serious inter-ethnic tensions, will serve as a kind of control case. The aim is to compare patterns of conflict and political mobilization in the name of ethnicity. It will be asked when, why and how ethnic differentiation becomes relevant for social and political action, how this is shaped by national politics and the distribution of resources, and how this influences individual behavior and the composition of social networks on the ground.