ABSTRACT
The chapter focuses on traditions as collective performances which symbolise the link between past and present generations. It starts with a brief overview of the Soviet period as a key period when the relationship between nation, culture and identity was defined and when ordinary citizens in Central Asia developed various ‘tactics’ allowing them to maintain their commitment to local traditions without renouncing to the benefits offered by the socialist state. Next the chapter describes how the official authorities of the newly independent states attempted to scrap the Soviet legacy and harness traditions in their efforts to nurture post-Soviet national subjectivities. It analyses the latest laws and regulations on life-cycle celebrations as national traditions and the impact of the latter on ordinary citizens’ practices and discourses. The chapter concludes by some observations on the ways in which the study of traditions in Central Asia contributes to the understanding of contemporary identity dilemmas and the frequent failures of the nation-state to accommodate them.
