Historical and cultural foundations of uzbek ethnocultural identity: an ethnosymbolist perspective

This study examines the historical and cultural foundations of Uzbek ethnocultural identity, emphasizing its ethnic diversity and the predominance of irrigated agriculture traditions among Central Asian Turkic peoples. Using an ethnosymbolist framework, the research outlines the formation of Uzbek identity during the 9th-12th centuries CE, highlighting the consolidation of the Turkic language, the development of irrigation-based agriculture, urbanization processes, and the deep integration of Islamic norms into society. The analysis demonstrates differences between sedentary populations in irrigated areas (Sarts) and nomadic elements (Mawarannahr Turkic peoples and Dasht-i Qipchaq Uzbeks), explaining their eventual unification by the early 20th century through processes of assimilation, syncretism, and sub-ethnic integration. The concept of “elat” is operationalized as a pre-national territorial-linguistic-economic-cultural unit, enriched by nomadic cultural elements within the Turkic-Islamic synthesis but not entirely replaced by them. The study emphasizes the role of symbolic memory, mythic narratives, and collective consciousness in shaping identity through an ethnosymbolist lens.