Cultural Processes and Transcultural Influences in Contemporary Central Asia

This Open Society–commissioned report provides an overview of the state of cultural affairs in Central Asian societies after the states in the region achieved independence and describes current tendencies defining long-term, local cultural processes and transcultural influences. Questions include:

• How is the Soviet experience of “cultural construction” used and transformed in the modern nation-states of Central Asia?
• What restrictions on cultural production are imposed by the political situation and economic possibilities of these countries?
• How do the processes of isolationism and globalization interact?
• What changes are being wrought by the Islamization of these societies?
• What is the future potential of secular, European-style culture?
• Who are the main players in the region’s cultural space?

A number of general recommendations for the work of international organizations in the cultural sphere of Central Asia are also presented.