Theorizing Central Asian Politics

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Political Theory and Central Asia: An Introduction. Rico Isaacs and Alessandro Frigerio

SECTION I. Exploring Models of Governance

Chapter 2. Legitimacy and Legitimation in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Rico Isaacs and Sofya du Boulay Chapter 3. Governmentalization of Kazakhstani State: Between Governmentality and Neopatrimonial Capitalism. Assel Tutumlu

Chapter 4. Theorizing the managerialism-neoliberalism-development nexus: Changing donor landscapes and persistence of practices in Kyrgyzstan. Liga Rudzite Chapter 5. Rawlsian Liberalism and Rationalistic Maturidi Islam in Central Asia. Galym Zhussipbek and Kairat Moldashev

SECTION II. Revealing Ideological Justifications

Chapter 6. In Search for "National Purpose": in Theory and Practice. Formation and Main Features of National ideologies in post-Soviet Central Asia. Parviz Mullojanov

Chapter 7. Compartmentalized Ideology: Presidential Addresses and Legitimation in Kazakhstan. Diana Kudaibergenova

Chapter 8. Beyond "Personality Cults": Sacralization of Power in Kazakhstan and the Concept of Monarchy. Adrien Fauve

Chapter 9. Eternal Futurostan: Myths, Fantasies and the Making of Astana in post-Soviet Kazakhstan. Mikhail Akulov

SECTION III. Reframing State and Order

Chapter 10. The State Identities in post-Soviet Foreign Policy: Theories and Cases in Central Asia. Selbi Hanova

Chapter 11. The Heartland of IR Theory? Central Asia as an 'International Society' between Realism and Liberalism. Filippo Costa Buranelli

Chapter 12. The Incomplete State: Re-conceptualizing State and Society Relations in Central Asia. Viktoria Akchurina

Chapter 13. Driving in Almaty: Ironic Perspectives on Domestic Anarchical Society. Alessandro Frigerio Chapter 14. Postscript: Dude Where is my Theory? Rico Isaacs and Alessandro Frigerio

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.

"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)