Abstract:In contrast to existing nationalism studies on Central Asia, I argue that state-sponsored celebrations in Kyrgyzstan were multi-functional and were used to maintain political legitimation based on the politics of Kyrgyz mega-celebrations held during the presidency of Askar Akaev (1991Akaev ( -2005. I propose that in weak democracies like Kyrgyzstan, with widespread electoral malpractice, political legitimacy is shaky and that therefore the political leadership seeks to maintain its legitimacy using various mea… Show more
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