ABSTRACT
Self-reliance is one particular interpretation of modernity, an intellectual mood or a socio-economic period of Western – meaning European and North American – history. This chapter accounts for Uzbekistan's version of self-reliance, based on five overlapping pillars: the pursuit of equality of status through bilateralism, the maintenance of stability through authoritarian guidance, the promotion of technocratic over ideological development, the adoption of Uzbek spirituality-morality, and the practice of self-sufficiency and non-dependency. Self-reliance is consequently a rejection of universalist readings of modernity which suggest that history and politics are likely to evolve toward a single end, regardless of specific cultural contingencies. The defence and espousal of cultural authenticity in Uzbekistan was often conducted under the slogan of ma'naviyat, which translates into English as either morality or spirituality. Authoritarian guidance was subsequently a core pillar of Uzbekistan's international role, playing a significant part in its international engagement.
