Personality Cults and Nation-Building in Turkmenistan 1 , 2

Religion and State in Central Asia: A Comparative Regional Approach

“…With Tajikistan's exception, where Rahmon constitutes a regional record of permanence in power, in the other four cases when autocracy of "nation founding leaders" came to an end, political succession was taken over by a second-generation figure who no longer came from high hierarchy of Soviet era, but of political capital created by prolonged autocratic powers and which, therefore, was more interested in status quo maintaining than in promoting a democratic opening. After Niyazov's death in 2006, Turkmenistan's presidency was assumed by former Deputy Prime Minister Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov, who used and reinforced authoritarian model of his predecessor to perpetuate himself in power as well (Borh,2016;Horak and Polese, 2016). In March 2022 he ceded presidency to his son, Serdar Berdimuhamedor, establishing in fact the region's first dynastic autocracy.…”

Nation‐Building in Central Asia: Institutions, Politics, and Culture

“…The central theme of the discourse has been continuity and reform, as well as economic development, "progressive thinking, professionalism and an innovative approach." 44 Berdymuhammadov, meanwhile, is glorified in many articles, songs, and poems as the "founder" or the "creator" and the "inspiration" for the Great Renaissance. He is also widely referred to as Arkadog (the protector).…”

“…Writers have also discovered the president's grandfather to have been a great teacher and patriot. 45 Like most other Central Asian leaders, Uzbekistan's former president, Islam Karimov (d. 2016), was also a prolific writer. He wrote several treatise on morality and spirituality, including the 2008 book High Morality -An Invincible Force (Yeksak Ma'naviyat -Yengilmas Kuch), which soon became required reading, like some of his other books, in the country's high schools and universities.…”