Table of Contents

Introduction Part 1: Politics 1. Patterns of Elite Consolidation and Rivalry in Kyrgyzstan between 1960-2010 2. The Impact of Askar Akaev’s Political Leadership in the Process of Democratization in Kyrgyzstan 3. Colour Revolutions and Constitutionalism: The Case of Kyrgyzstan Part 2: Identity 4. ‘Circle of Trust’: Functions and Mechanisms of Patron-Client Relations in the Private Farm 5. From Herd Breeding to Land Farming: Social Uses of Descent and Kinship in a Kyrgyz Village 6. Religious Conversion and Its Impact on Ethnic Identity in Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan Part 3: Education 7. Everyday Realities of a Young Teacher in Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan: A Case of a History Teacher from a Rural School 8. Redefining Students and Universities in the Kyrgyz Republic 9. Higher Education in Kyrgyzstan: The Inevitability of International Actors 10. Conclusion

About the Author

Pınar Akçalı teaches in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the Middle East Technical University, Turkey. She has published widely on Central Asian identity issues and post-Soviet transition.

Cennet Engin-Demir teaches in the Department Educational Sciences at the Middle East Technical University, Turkey. She has published widely on education in Central Asian countries.