Post-Soviet Migration Patterns in Kyrgyzstan and the Case of Uzbeks
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
POST-SOVIET MIGRATION PATTERNS IN KYRGYZSTAN AND THE CASE OF UZBEKS A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY SEVĠLAY YILDIRIM IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EURASIAN STUDIES DECEMBER 2019 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. YaĢar KONDAKÇI Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Assoc. Prof. Dr. IĢık KUġÇU BONNENFANT Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. AyĢegül AYDINGÜN Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof. Dr. Pınar KÖKSAL (METU, ADM) Prof. Dr. AyĢegül AYDINGÜN (METU, SOC) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anar SOMUNCUOĞLU (Hacettepe Uni., IR) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name: Sevilay YILDIRIM Signature : iii ABSTRACT POST-SOVIET MIGRATION PATTERNS IN KYRGYZSTAN AND THE CASE OF UZBEKS YILDIRIM, Sevilay M.S., Department of Eurasian Studies Supervisor: Prof. Dr. AyĢegül AYDINGÜN December 2019, 148 pages This thesis examines the migration patterns in Kyrgyzstan that have emerged after the independence period and the approach of Uzbek community in the country to migration and the preferable migration destinations within the framework of push and pull factors. Uzbeks, who are the second major ethnic group in Kyrgyzstan, live compactly in the southern provinces- Osh, Jalal-Abad, and Batken. They comprise one third of the region‟s population and 14 percent of the country‟s total population. In Kyrgyzstan, migration is accepted as a prevalent phenomenon that has common impacts on the society, and in the literature, it is mainly discussed from the economic perspective since one-third of the country‟s total population is living abroad and most of them are labor migrants. It is asserted that, although Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan migrate to reach better economic standards, their migration process was prompted by the political developments and that migration is used as an avoiding strategy from negative conditions like discrimination and conflicts. Therefore, push factors are taken as the main determinants of the migration process of Kyrgyzstani Uzbeks. Migration destinations are analyzed in two dimensions as internal and external migration. Research findings demonstrate that the internal mobility process of iv Uzbek community is different from that of Kyrgyz and they abstain to migrate from south to north, which is the general domestic migration route in the country. Instead, they prefer to migrate abroad directly. Due to the Uzbeks‟ strong attachment with their historical homeland, their migration is evaluated as a temporary mobility process rather than permanent. Additionally, it is concluded that eliminating the push factors and stabilizing the inter-ethnic harmony in Kyrgyzstan could lead to changes in the migration patterns of Uzbeks by encouraging them to stay in their homeland. Keywords: Kyrgyzstani Uzbeks, Osh, migration, push-pull factors, historical homeland. v ÖZ SOVYET SONRASI DÖNEMDE KIRGIZĠSTAN‟DA GÖÇ HAREKETLERĠ VE ÖZBEK ÖRNEĞĠ YILDIRIM, Sevilay Yüksek Lisans, Avrasya ÇalıĢmaları Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. AyĢegül AYDINGÜN Aralık 2019, 148 sayfa Bu tez, bağımsızlık sonrası dönemde Kırgızistan‟da ortaya çıkan göç hareketlerini, ülkedeki Özbek toplumunun göçe yaklaĢımını ve tercih ettikleri göç destinasyonlarını itme-çekme modeli çerçevesinde incelemektedir. Kırgızistan‟da ikinci büyük etnik grubu oluĢturan Özbekler, yoğun olarak ülkenin güney bölgelerinde yer alan OĢ, Celal-Abad ve Batken eyaletlerinde yaĢamaktadırlar. Bölge nüfusunun üçte birini, ülkenin toplam nüfusunun ise %14‟lük kısmını oluĢturmaktadırlar. Kırgızistan‟da göç meselesi toplum üzerinde genel etkiye sahip önemli bir süreç olarak kabul edilmekte ve ilgili literatürde, ülke nüfusunun üçte birinin yurtdıĢında yaĢaması ve çoğunluğunun iĢçi göçmenlerden oluĢması nedeniyle temel olarak ekonomik yönüyle ele alınmaktadır. Özbekler daha iyi ekonomik standartlara ulaĢma arzusu ile göç etmekle birlikte, onların göç süreçlerinin siyasi nedenlerle tetiklendiği ve göçün ayrımcılık ve çatıĢmalar gibi olumsuz koĢullardan kaçınma stratejisi olarak uygulandığı iddia edilmektedir. Dolayısıyla, çekme faktörleri Kırgızistan Özbeklerinin göç sürecinde ana belirleyici faktörler olarak ele alınmıĢtır. Göç destinasyonları iç ve dıĢ göç olmak üzere iki boyutta analiz edilmiĢtir. AraĢtırma sonuçları, Özbek toplumunun ülkede yaygın bir hareketlilik süreci olan iç göçte Kırgızlardan farklılık taĢıdığını ve toplumun güneyden kuzeye iç göç sürecinden kaçındığını göstermektedir. Bunun yerine, doğrudan yurtdıĢına göç vi etmeyi tercih etmektedirler. Özbeklerin tarihi anavatanları ile olan güçlü bağları nedeniyle, göçlerinin kalıcı olmaktan ziyade geçici bir hareketlilik süreci olduğu değerlendirilmiĢtir. Bunun yanı sıra, itme faktörlerinin bertaraf edilmesi ve Kırgızistan‟da etniklerarası uyumun istikrarlı hale gelmesinin Özbekleri anavatanlarında kalma konusunda teĢvik ederek göç süreçlerinde değiĢikliklere yol açacağı sonucuna varılmıĢtır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Kırgızistan Özbekleri, OĢ, göç, itme-çekme faktörleri, tarihi anavatan. vii To my beloved grandfather Mehmet, viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many people supported me during my thesis studies, but first and foremost I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Prof. Dr. AyĢegül Aydıngün for her encouragement, guidance and advices which made me feel safe in every stage of this long journey. It would be impossible to finish this thesis without her support and encouragement. I am also grateful to my examining committee members Prof. Dr. Pınar Köksal and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anar Somuncuoğlu for their comments and contribution to improve this study. People both from Turkey and from the region, provided opportunity to conduct my field research in Kyrgyzstan. I owe special thanks to the interviewees in Kyrgyzstan whose names are not specified in the footnotes. In addition, I would like to thank both academic and non-academic staff of Kyrgyz-Turkish University Manas, OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Osh State University and The Faculty of Theology Under Osh State University. I also thank Yunus Emre Gürbüz, Seyit Ali Avcu, Victoria Omarova, Timur Kozukulov, Zamira Isakova, Zebonisu Cumaeva, Ali Asker, Madina DemirbaĢ, Sevilya Muradova, Tegina and Talantbek for their help. All the members of my large family deserve many thanks. I want to express my deepest gratitude to my grandparents Mehmet and Sare, to my father Mustafa, to my mother Gülyaz, to my aunt ġengül who supported me in every stage of my life. Finally, I want to thank my lovely brothers Gökay and Çağatay and to my beloved sister Emine for their love and understanding. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM…………………………………………………………………...iii ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... iv ÖZ .......................................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................... ix TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................... x LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES .................................................................... xii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.............................................................................. xiii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 1.1. Introducing the Study and the Research Question ................................... 1 1.2. Methodology ............................................................................................ 6 1.3. Theoretical Framework .......................................................................... 11 1.4. Organization of the Study ...................................................................... 17 2. SETTLEMENT, MIGRATION, AND HISTORY OF THE CONFLICTS IN KYRGYZSTAN ................................................................................................... 18 2.1. The First Waves of Migration: Russian Expansion to Turkestan and Formation of the Steps .................................................................................. 18 2.2. Border Making, Migration, and Settlement during the Soviet Era ........ 26 2.3. Migration during the Independence Period: Leaving the Non-indigenous and the Indigenous ........................................................................................ 34 2.4. History of the Conflicts in the South ..................................................... 40 3. FACTORS THAT PUSH UZBEKS IN KYRGYZSTAN TO MIGRATE ........ 51 x 3.1. Discrimination towards Uzbeks and Its Implications on Migration ...... 51 3.1.1. State Level Discrimination .............................................................. 53 3.1.2. Social Exclusion .............................................................................. 62 3.1.3. Closed Social Structure of Uzbeks .................................................