(University of Oregon, 2009-06) Dooley, Kathryn Amelia, 1984-
Peasant experiences of agricultural collectivization in Uzbekistan followed an
overarching pattern familiar from studies of collectivization elsewhere in the USSR but
simultaneously bore the deep imprint of Central Asia's unique history of Soviet rule since the
revolution. State control remained weak in the Uzbek village, and Uzbek officials at the local
level were forced to mediate between pressure from the central authorities and pressure from
traditional village norms. As a result, the contours of collectivization in Uzbekistan were defined
as much by local specificities and face-to-face relationships as by central policy. Uzbek peasants
initially engaged in mass resistance to collectivization, drawing on a tradition of comprehensive
opposition to Soviet rule on grounds of culture, Islam, nation, and village solidarity. But despite
their apparent intransigence, over time Uzbek peasants found broad opportunities for compromise
and collaboration with the state within the malleable framework of power and affiliation in Stalin-era
Central Asia.
