Identity Politics in Central Asia and the Muslim World: Nationalism, Ethnicity and Labour in the Twentieth Century (Library of International Relations)

Nationalism was regarded as a positive force shaping "modern" societies and states but in Europe it has been overshadowed by the disasters of two world wars. Outside Europe, however, it has continued to flourish throughout the 20th century. Covering Turkey, Iran, Abkhazia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, this study reveals the counter-forces unleashed by the project of nationalist modernization, and the stimulation of identity politics as the result of ruthless repression of minority languages, culture, traditions, and religion—the life-blood of minority ethnicity. The study examines how these policies have strengthened identity politics and the movements for opting out of the nation. Nationalist models of state-development are of great interest to academics and of intense practical relevance to policy-makers. Nationalism was regarded as a positive force shaping'modern'societies and states but in Europe it has been overshadowed by the disasters of two world wars. Outside Europe, however, it has continued to flourish throughout the 20th century. Covering Turkey, Iran, Abkhazia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afganistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, this study lays bare the counter-forces unleashed by the project of nationalist modernisation, and the stimulation of identity politics as the result of ruthless repression of minority languages, culture, traditions and religion - the life-blood of minority ethnicity. The study examines how these policies, which include Islam as the basis of nation-building in, for example, Pakistan and the post-Pahlavi Iran, have strengthened identity politics and the movements for opting out of the nation. Cover Contents Acknowledgements Introduction: Opting Out, Opting In, Exclusion and Assimilation: States and Nations in the Twentieth Century 1 . `Soviet Nationalism': An Ideological Legacy to the Independent Republics of Central Asia 2 . Nation-building in Azerbaijan: The Soviet Legacy and the Impact of the Karabakh Con ̄ict 3 . Recasting Oneself, Rejecting the Other: Pan-Turkism and Iranian Nationalism 4 . Nations Imagined and Fragmented: Bengali Ethnicity and the Break up of Pakistan 5 . Who Speaks for the Nation? Nationalist Rhetoric and the Challenge of Cultural Pluralism in Bangladesh 6 . The Struggle for the Afghan State: Centralization, Nationalism and their Discontents 7 . Does Class Ever Opt Out of the Nation? Nationalist Modernization and Labour in Iran 8 . `Fundamentalism' as an Exclusionary Device in Kemalist Turkish Nationalism Conclusion: Opting Out of the Nation Nationalism was regarded as a positive force shaping ""modern"" societies and states but in Europe it has been overshadowed by the disasters of two world wars. Outside Europe it has continued to enjoy a heyday throughout the 20th century. Covering Turkey, Iran, Abghazia, Uzbekistan, Tajikstan, Afganistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, this study lays bare the counter-forces unleashed by the project of nationalist modernization, and the stimulation of identity politics as the result of ruthless repression of minority languages, culture, traditions and religion - the life-blood of minority ethnicity