Volume 02 Issue 06-2022
135
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
–
2771-2141)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
06
Pages:
135-138
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
993
)
(2022:
6.
015
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.968
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
ABSTRACT
This article examines the socio-economic factors influencing interethnic relations in the Fergana Valley and assesses
their role in regional security.
KEYWORDS
Fergana Valley, interethnic relations, socio-economic factors, limited land resources, growing demand for water
resources, differences in economic growth.
INTRODUCTION
In recent decades, Russian and foreign researchers
have shown increasing interest in the Ferghana Valley,
considering it a "powder keg" of Central Asia and,
perhaps, all neighboring states. The Ferghana Valley is
a specific region of Central Asia not only due to its
geographical location and natural features, but also
due to the presence of a special culture and ethnic
composition of the population. The territory of the
valley is fenced by mountain ranges in the north,
northeast and south. Such natural isolation was largely
the reason for the formation of special economic
activity in the region, in particular, trade caravans
passed through the valley, a special social
environment. Consequently, due to natural barriers,
the valley was a relatively calm place compared to
neighboring areas, and the standard of living was
Research Article
SOCIO-ECONOMIC CAUSES OF ETHNIC CONFLICTS IN THE FERGHANA
VALLEY
Submission Date:
June 10, 2022,
Accepted Date:
June 20, 2022,
Published Date:
June 30, 2022
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/ajsshr/Volume02Issue06-20
Rakhmonali Begalievich Bekmirzaev
Lecturer, Fergana State University, Fergana, Uzbekistan
Journal
Website:
https://theusajournals.
com/index.php/ajsshr
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
Volume 02 Issue 06-2022
136
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
–
2771-2141)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
06
Pages:
135-138
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
993
)
(2022:
6.
015
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.968
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
somewhat higher than in other regions, respectively,
all this became the determining cause of migration
processes.
LEVEL OF STUDY OF THE SUBJECT
Favorable natural conditions have led to the fact that
the population density in the Ferghana Valley turned
out to be higher than in other territories of the Central
Asian region (360 people per 1 sq. km). The population
density in the Ferghana Valley is 12 times higher than in
Kyrgyzstan and 56 times higher than in Kazakhstan. [1]
The territory of the Fergana Valley is distributed among
three republics, and in an unequal relationship: the
central regions belong to Uzbekistan, and it is here that
about a third of the population of the republic lives, the
other two "border" directions are, respectively, Tajik
(also about a third of the population lives in the
Fergana Valley) and Kyrgyz (about half of the country's
population). Moreover, the population growth rate is
rapid - more than 2% per year. [2] According to UN
analysts, by the end of the 21st century, a
"demographic leap" is expected in Central Asia.
Thus, the demographic situation is heating up the
situation in the conditions of limited resources and
other problems of the Ferghana Valley, which will be
discussed below, thereby increasing the conflict
potential in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and
may also go beyond this territory. The dense
population, in turn, has led to a shortage of resources:
arable land, pastures, since the bulk of the population
is engaged in agriculture, as well as water resources. In
this vein, the stumbling block in disagreements
between Tashkent and Dushanbe and Tashkent and
Bishkek is the issue related to water resources.
The dense population is also the cause of
unemployment, which gives rise to such a
phenomenon as labor migration and, as a result, an
increase in the degree of conflict in the region. The
percentage of the population of the Ferghana Valley
living below the poverty line reaches 40%. [3] This is
also confirmed by the high rate of population outflow
from the region.
Another dangerous consequence of the demographic
situation in the Fergana Valley is the fact that the
majority of the population are young people aged 15 to
24, which, of course, is one of the reasons for the sharp
confrontations. Thus, in The Clash of Civilizations,
Samuel Huntington notes that "youth is the
personification of protest, instability, reform and
revolution."
Migration and unemployment have become the causes
of previously uncharacteristic problems for Eastern
society - an increase in the number of divorces, single-
parent families, and the appearance of an imbalance in
the migration flow in terms of gender. [4]
Another problem of the Fergana Valley was the
emergence of such a phenomenon as creeping
expansion. This phenomenon reflects a change in the
ethnic situation in the region, for example, when ethnic
Tajiks and citizens of the Tajik Republic move to Kyrgyz
villages, that is, enclaves appear populated by
residents of another state, differing from the local
population also by ethnicity.
Also, the problems of the social order should include
differences in the way of life of the peoples living in the
area. The ethnic composition of the population of the
Ferghana Valley is very heterogeneous. Of course,
every nation has its own culture and language. For
example, Tajiks are an Iranian-speaking population,
and thus differ from Uzbeks and Kyrgyz as Turkic-
speaking peoples. At the same time, the Kyrgyz and
Uzbeks have differences in their way of life, they are
Volume 02 Issue 06-2022
137
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
–
2771-2141)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
06
Pages:
135-138
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
993
)
(2022:
6.
015
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.968
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
Islamized to varying degrees. In addition, differences
can be found in a single people. So, Pamir Tajiks differ
from others in appearance, and there are also linguistic
differences.
The influence of the religious factor on the aggravation
of conflicts in the Fergana Valley should not be
overlooked. Over the past 20-30 years, there has been
a new wave of Islamization of the population after the
atheistic sentiments of the Soviet era. The ideas of
Islamism and the creation of an Islamic state are
gaining more and more popularity.[5] This is one of the
manifestations of the so-called indigenization of the
second generation, a phenomenon described back in
the 80s. XX century., In particular, the English
sociologist Ronald Dor studied a similar phenomenon
in Japan. S. Huntington also notes that "indigenization
was on the agenda throughout the non-Western world
in the eighties and nineties of the twentieth century."
The indigenization of the second generation (in this
case, this is a response to many years of sovietization)
manifests itself in a return to one’s own culture, when,
for example, a secular way of life, as a certain cultural
pattern introduced from outside, is replaced by a
reorientation towards a religious image life, a return to
previously forgotten traditions. What most often
results in a conflict confrontation both within society
and in relations with external actors, who introduced a
secular lifestyle and their own values.
The following list of reasons for the first block is related
to economic problems. As noted earlier, the bulk of the
population of the Ferghana Valley is engaged in
agriculture. And due to the overpopulation of the
region, there is an acute shortage of land resources.
With the collapse of the USSR, the level of industrial
production in the light industry, which for the most
part the region was famous for, fell critically and still
cannot reach the Soviet level. But not only this is
connected with contradictions in the economic sphere,
the shadow economy and corruption are also a serious
problem. Thus, the market in the city of Kara-Suu
(Kyrgyzstan) from ancient times occupied an
advantageous economic position on the trade route of
the Great Silk Road and is currently the largest trading
base in the region. Important road arteries pass
through this city: the Bishkek-Osh-Urumqi highway and
the Jalal-Abad-Andijan railway. According to official
data, the monthly market turnover is more than 200
million dollars, and according to unofficial data
(shadow market turnover), it is twice as much.[6]
In Tajikistan, in recent years, there has been an
intrastate economic “contradiction” between the
industrially developed “North” and the agrarian
“South”: all industry created in the republic during the
years of Soviet rule is located mainly on the territory of
the Sughd (formerly Leninabad) region. The influence
of the center of the republic on the north is rather
weak, due to the capital investments of local
businessmen, as well as foreign sponsors, so the region
is becoming more financially independent. This is due,
on the one hand, to changes in the ruling circles of the
republic and the redistribution of power between
ethno-regional elites, and, on the other hand, to the
fact that Khujand, due to geographical, historical,
cultural reasons, is close to Bukhara and Samarkand
(now the territory of neighboring Uzbekistan) than the
central and southern regions of the country. All of the
above is a trend towards the isolation of the Sughd
region, in addition, proposals have already been made
to create a free economic zone in this territory. [7]
CONCLUSION
The analysis of the problems in contemporary nation-
wide relations in Fergana Valley is following a deeper
study of the existing problems, based on the opinions,
Volume 02 Issue 06-2022
138
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
–
2771-2141)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
06
Pages:
135-138
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
993
)
(2022:
6.
015
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.968
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
forecast analyzes and interests of researchers-experts
outside the region who have expressed their views on
this issue. It is necessary to identify the existing
problems and not to allow them to pose a challenge for
the Central Asian region. The ethnocentric factor in the
multinational Fergana Valley is one of the most
complex and topical issues of today. Ethnic-territorial
problems,
resources,
linguistic,
environmental,
demographic, migration and other regional problems
both determine and impart the level of ethnocultural
relations.
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1.
Bekmirzaev, R. B. (2021). Factors affecting nation-
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125.
2.
Rudov, G. A. Ferghana Valley: causes of crisis
phenomena and ways to neutralize them / /
Obozrevatel - Observer . - 2014. - No. 11.
3.
Bekmirzaev, R. B. (2021). Factors affecting nation-
building relationships in Fergana Valley. Asian
Journal of Multidimensional Research , 10 (11), 122-
125.
4.
Rudov, G. A. Ferghana Valley: causes of crisis
phenomena and ways to neutralize them / /
Obozrevatel - Observer . - 2014. - No. 11.
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Dobaev,
I.
P.
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radicalism:
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Rostov-on-Don, Publisher: SKNTS VSH. - 2002. - No.
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6.
Trofimov, D. To the question of ethnoterritorial
and border problems in Central Asia // Central Asia
and the Caucasus. - 2002. - No. 1. -S. 60–71.
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Olimov, M. Olimova, S. K. Khudzhent: between
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Bekmirzaev, R. B. (2021). Traces Of Archaic
Religions In The Modern Way Of Life Of The
Peoples Of The Ferghana Valley. The American
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Valievich, Y. S. (2020). CHILDREN’S GAMES AS AN
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HARMONIOUS GENERATION. European Journal
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Alimova, N. O. (2021). Some Views On The History
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