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This book brings together a series of innovative contributions which provide an eclectic view of how theorizing politics plays out in Central Asia. How are the concepts of governance, legitimacy, ideology, power, order, and the state framed in the region? How can we use the experiences of the Central Asian states to renovate political theorizing? In addressing these questions, the volume relies on the contributions of many young and local researchers, whose chapters are primed to address three key themes: exploring models of governance, revealing ideological justifications, and reframing state and order. Utilizing a range of single and comparative case studies from across the Central Asian space, this illuminating and original volume opens up a new space for political theorists, regional specialists and students of politics to begin reconsidering how we approach the theorization of regions of the world assumed to be on the periphery.
List of contents
1. Political Theory and Central Asia: An Introduction.- 2. Legitimacy and Legitimation in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.- 3. Governmentalization of Kazakhstani State: Between Governmentality and Neopatrimonial Capitalism.- 4. Theorizing the managerialism-neoliberalism-development nexus: Changing donor landscapes and persistence of practices in Kyrgyzstan.- 5. Rawlsian Liberalism and Rationalistic Maturidi Islam in Central Asia.- 6. In Search for "National Purpose": in Theory and Practice. Formation and Main Features of National ideologies in post-Soviet Central Asia.- 7. Compartmentalized Ideology: Presidential Addresses and Legitimation in Kazakhstan.- 8. Beyond "Personality Cults": Sacralization of Power in Kazakhstan and the Concept of Monarchy.- 9. Eternal Futurostan: Myths, Fantasies and the Making of Astana in post-Soviet Kazakhstan.- 10. The State Identities in post-Soviet Foreign Policy: Theories and Cases in Central Asia.- 11. The Heartland of IR Theory? Central Asia as an 'International Society' between Realism and Liberalism.- 12. The Incomplete State: Re-conceptualizing State and Society Relations in Central Asia.- 13. Driving in Almaty: Ironic Perspectives on Domestic Anarchical Society.- 14. Postscript: Dude Where is my Theory?.
About the author
Rico Isaacs is Reader in Politics at Oxford Brookes University, UK. He is the author of Film and Identity in Kazakhstan (2018), Nation-Building in the Post-Soviet Space (with Abel Polese, 2016) and Party System Formation in Kazakhstan (2011).
Alessandro Frigerio is Dean of the School of Management at Almaty Management University, Kazakhstan. He has been working in Almaty for the past ten years combining administrative duties at different universities with heterodox scholarly activities in political philosophy.
Summary
This book brings together a series of innovative contributions which provide an eclectic view of how theorizing politics plays out in Central Asia. How are the concepts of governance, legitimacy, ideology, power, order, and the state framed in the region? How can we use the experiences of the Central Asian states to renovate political theorizing? In addressing these questions, the volume relies on the contributions of many young and local researchers, whose chapters are primed to address three key themes: exploring models of governance, revealing ideological justifications, and reframing state and order. Utilizing a range of single and comparative case studies from across the Central Asian space, this illuminating and original volume opens up a new space for political theorists, regional specialists and students of politics to begin reconsidering how we approach the theorization of regions of the world assumed to be on the periphery.
Additional text
“Theorizing Central Asian Politics is a book that is destined to have a long shelf-life, due to its innovative approach that seeks to reframe theoretically the work of scholars with first-class knowledge of Central Asia, its languages, its politics and its societies.” (Luca Anceschi, Inner Asia, Vol. 21, 2019)
“The editors aimed to plant a seed to discuss political theorization starting from practices in Central Asia, but they exceeded expectations. This book marks the development of new research trails that could be the roots of a reflourishing of general political theory.” (Gian Marco Moisé, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 38 (4), 2019)
Report
"Theorizing Central Asian Politics is a book that is destined to have a long shelf-life, due to its innovative approach that seeks to reframe theoretically the work of scholars with first-class knowledge of Central Asia, its languages, its politics and its societies." (Luca Anceschi, Inner Asia, Vol. 21, 2019)
"The editors aimed to plant a seed to discuss political theorization starting from practices in Central Asia, but they exceeded expectations. This book marks the development of new research trails that could be the roots of a reflourishing of general political theory." (Gian Marco Moisé, Central Asian Survey, Vol. 38 (4), 2019)
