Paper long abstract:

Men were always the pillar stone of the Uyghur family and society, and the core of the cultural and economic system in Xinjiang. The shifting powers within the Uygur society and the rise of Uyghur women weakened the traditional role of Uyghur men. In the daily reality of Xinjiang, the Uyghur men are discriminated in employment, education, housing, and political representation by the Han (Chinese) majority. This inferiority led to the preservation and emphasis on physical masculine traits as an ethnonational symbol aiming to represent Han men as "feminine" and "weak" compared with the "masculine" Uyghur men.

Uyghur masculinity is defiance against the attempt to represent ethnic minorities in China as inferior, primitive, feminine and exotic, thus depicting the Han as superior, modern and dominant. I suggest defining the representation of Uyghur masculinity as "imagined hegemony," as a paraphrase on Benedict Anderson's concept, "imagined community." Although this representation of masculinity is an attempt to reclaim their hegemony, it nevertheless reflects the declining status of Uyghur manhood. The complexity of this issue is reflected in contemporary Uyghur literature.

This paper is based on famous literary works, such as "Mustache Dispute" (Burut majirasi) by Memtimin Hoshur and "The Flood" (Kelkün) by Muhemmed Baghrash, are depicting the struggle of the Uyghur men to retain their position. The diminishing image of Uyghur masculinity is recovered by the role of historical and mythical heroes in modern Uyghur literature. Heroes, such as Oghuz Khan and Chin Timor, have become models of courage and manhood, and serve as a reminder of the glorious Uyghur past.

Paper long abstract:

The memory of Kazakh`s participation in the WWII in case of national identity of Kazakhstan

Abstract

Kazakhstan is witnessing the beginning of a new, largely unclear, historic cycle. Kazakh youth is stepping forward to the new model of national identity and thinking, the so-called process of modernization of identity. It is the unique experience of multinational state with the variety of cultures and civilizations impact in its history. Even largely modernized societies have cultures and traditions, which are rooted long in the past. The first condition for successful modernization is the preservation of national culture and tradition. "Without this, modernization is empty rhetoric. However, this does not mean preservation of everything in the national culture. We need to separate those aspects, which give us confidence in the future, and those that hold us back. The new modernization should not look at historic experience arrogantly. Rather it must build on the best traditions and make them important pillars for future success. Without national and cultural roots, modernization cannot take place. History and national traditions should be taken into account. It is a platform which connects our past, present, and future" - emphasized in his speech Kazakhstan`s first President N.A. Nazarbayev.

In this case, it is very important to study Kazakh's participation in the WWII to memorize and commemorate the past and renew the patriotic feelings among youth. As the World War II began, more than a sixth of the population - over 1.3 million people - left the Kazakh soil for the War. As a result of the tragic events, 410 thousand soldiers from Kazakhstan, constituting one-third of the departed did not make it back home. How well do we all know about this war and its victims? In the history of Soviet Kazakhstan, there were many gloomy pages with the World War II bringing calamities and sorrow, which is called the Great Patriotic War by Kazakh people.

Key words: WWII, Kazakhs participation, national identity, patriotism, History of Kazakhstan

Paper long abstract:

Capital cities often become leaders' pet projects: Ashgabat, Turkmenistan is a veritable monument to Turkmenbashi, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan Mirziyoyez, is orchestrating top-down urbanization displacing citizens and Astana (now Nursultan) Kazakhstan is Nazarbayev's personal domain. Urbanization in capital cities is reflective of both national politics and leadership ideology; they are used as synecdoche for the entire nation (Koch, 2018). Literature on urban planning in Central Asian has largely focused on top-down projects and capital cities. However, urbanization in these countries outside of these spaces is vital in understanding how people organize their lives and society outside of the spotlight. Nazarbayev moved the Kazakh capital north to what is now Nursultan as he believed that Almaty was not centrally located, and, that the former capital was laden with symbols of the Soviet era. To this day, residents of Almaty use the old Soviet street names and the new Kazakh names interchangeably. The President's decision to move the capital to Nursultan reflects a view that the Almaty was the capital of the past. The government's shift in focus to Astana has created space for citizen action in urbanization in Almaty. There is a robust movement which is addressing issues such as improving the street profile in non-Central districts, transforming residential space to meet modern needs, and workshops with architecture students on how to consider the Soviet heritage in their work. There are civic actors curating exhibitions concerning the Soviet legacy in architecture and its role in modern Almaty. In studying citizen led urban planning initiatives and the work of architect-activists, we can understand how the people in these urban spaces are designing their ideal environments, what their visions for their cities are, and how their identity is projected in their landscape. Through interviews with architect activists, citizens involved in these projects, the civic leadership and attendance at relevant events, I aim to learn firsthand what these visions are. While Nursultan's population is growing, Almaty remains much more densely populated, and there are numerous more populous urban areas throughout Kazakhstan. In these cities, residents are not building anew, they are contending with the Soviet infrastructure and it is incorporated in their lives. As such, most people are not simply changing their setting to abolish all traces of the Soviet legacy in their lives. It is present, and inevitably influences their contemporary identity.

Paper long abstract:

On January 18, 2019, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan passed a resolution on the "Concept of the Introduction of "Smart City" Technology in the Republic of Uzbekistan." Prior to this there have been existing "Smart City" developments in Uzbekistan, but this is the first codified framework for their development in the country. Defining what a smart city is has proven conceptually and practically challenging for scholars. Based on this piece of legislation, the meaning of the smart city is focused on the use of innovative technologies to help increase the efficiency in various sectors and monitoring devices and techniques to allow data to be gathered and tracked. Critiques of the smart city have centered on its technocratic nature and now technology and data can be used to marginalize or control populations. In addition, the smart city is seen by some as another market-driven strategy, using buzzwords without any substance, to attract investment.

This paper explores the new "Smart City" policy along with existing projects and technologies designated to test certain elements. Ten sectors are identified for the application of smart concepts along with three ongoing projects to incorporate in the smart city framework. These three projects are Nurafshon, Tashkent City, and Delta City. The Nurafshon smart city project, for example, will reportedly be constructed by experts from South Korea and Singapore and is expected to attract $2.5 billion in foreign investment.

This research asks how these projects are affecting urban economic development and urban spatial form. By looking at the particular smart concepts being used in each project, it is possible to analyze the source of financial investment and technological contribution as well as the physical application and implementation of these concepts and technologies affecting urbanization. This research contributes to research on smart city policy, the use of smart concepts for urban development, and post-Soviet cities.