ABSTRACT
This chapter studies processes of debordering and rebordering in Tajik-Kyrgyz border areas in the Isfara Valley. Based on studies conducted in the Tajik and Kyrgyz border zones in the period from 2016 to 2021, the authors explore the history of the borders in the region and describe the formation of borderlands with their own economies, systems of government, and languages. They also study the transformation of identity and perceptions of territoriality in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan using in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and a quantitative survey.
Certain strategies and market reforms – in particular the existence of private land ownership and a market for land in the Kyrgyz Republic (KR) and its absence in the Republic of Tajikistan (RT) – are furthering the disintegration of the region and giving rise to numerous border conflicts. The authors analyse the causes and dynamics of these conflicts.
Yet alongside the disintegration of the region instigated by the new sovereign states, some integration is also taking place, driven mainly by various networks and markets. In exploring both developments, the authors reveal the duality or contradictory nature of life in the borderlands.
