Syllabus
Environment 8.10. Space in Central Asia: Geography, Geopolitics, Geostrategy. (Lídl) 15.10. Time in Central Asia: Implications of Central Asia's History for the Present. (Lídl) 22.10. Powers in Central Asia: Dis-integration, Integration and Great-Powers. (Lídl) 29.10. Screening of the film "In the Shadow of the Holy Book" (Šír)
Identity 5.11. Role of Political Islam in Modern Central Asia. (Lídl)
Infrastructure 12.11. Great Game for Central Asia's Energy Resources. (Lídl)
Institutions 19.11. Informal Institutions: Clans, Tribes and Nations. (Koutník)
Identity 26.11. Ideology and State-Building in Central Asia. (Šír)
Institutions 3.12. Formal Institutions: Constitutional Developments and State Institutions. (Šír)
Infrastructure 17.12. Economic and Social Transformation of Central Asia. (Tucker)
Annotation
The course “Post-Soviet Central Eurasia” seeks to give students a solid understanding of the nation-building processes that took place in the Central Eurasian region since the fall of the Soviet Union. The nation-building process consists of three interrelated parts – creation of national identity and ideology; construction of communication, economic and transport infrastructure that binds the nation together; establishing of state apparatus and political system that enables exercise of power over the state.
Therefore, the three modules of this course would be based on these phases of the state-building process. Students will be able to comprehend key issues in Central Asian internal politics.