The Russian Space? research group and Barentsinstituttet present a guest lecture by Dr Ekaterina Mikhailova (BAI)
"Desert-looking Karakalpakstan, directly affected by the anthropogenic catastrophe of the drying up of the Aral Sea, could be seen as an essence of Central Asian imageries. However, along with the typicality, one could also note a significant uniqueness. Being the only autonomous region of Uzbekistan and one of the two autonomous regions in Central Asia (together with Gorno-Badakhshan in Tajikistan), Karakalpakstan has a constitutional right to secession. Before becoming a part of Uzbekistan in 1936, it first functioned as an autonomous oblast within the Kazakh ASSR (1925-1930) and then was under the direct jurisdiction of Russian SFSR (1930-1936). The population of Karakalpakstan is estimated at 1,9 mln inhabitants in 2022. The ethnic composition includes Uzbeks (40%), Karakalpaks (37%), Kazakhs (15%), Turkmens (5%) and others (3%), hence Karakalpaks are a minority in their own republic. The international commentators examining nationalism movement in Karakalpaksan (Hanks 2000, Horák 2014, Yılmaz 2022) agree that the autonomous republic is an important factor for Uzbek domestic and international affairs and for managing its border regime with neighbouring states. It was especially apparent in summer 2022 when Karakalpakstan became a scene of large-scale public unrest in response to proposed amendments to the Uzbek constitution that would have reduced Karakalpakstan’s autonomy. These protests were met with a brutal response by state security forces and the police.
Drawing on three fieldwork trips conducted in the region in 2022-2023, I will share some insights about Karakalpakstan today, its relations with Tashkent, as well as with its neighbouring regions in Uzbekistan and across the border in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan".