A Bit More Detail

Sergei Abashin's paper "The transformation of ethnic identity in Central Asia: a case study of the Uzbeks and Tajiks", published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, examines the ways in which the Sarts of what is now post-Soviet central Asia to the Uzbeks as a consequence of Soviet nationbuilding policies. The confusion surrounding this population category demonstrates the truth that, in order to build a new nation, old groups must be destroyed.