"Uzbek Tatars": An Identity in Formation?
by
Greta Uehling
Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan
Paper prepared for the Workshop on Identity Formation and Social Issues in Estonia, Ukraine, and
Uzbekistan
August 4-8, 1997
Kyiv, Ukraine
Abstract
Since the break up of the Soviet Union, migration within the former republics has drastically changed
the demography of the region. The return migration of Tatars from Uzbekistan to their historic
homeland in the Crimea between 1989 and 1993 reached 250,000 or more than half the population. Since
that time, however, it has slowed significantly raising a question as to whether those remaining are
becoming Uzbek, not Crimean Tatars. Structural barriers such as the difficulty of repatriating
belongings, differences in the value of currency, unemployment and the complicated process of
obtaining citizenship contribute to the bifurcation of the group. While the existence of the name
ìUzbek Tatarsî points to a social reality, the hope of building their own nation-state motivates them
to seek unity across borders. In this paper, I discuss how a distinctive narrative style
characterizes Crimean Tatars and unites them as a group. Narratives constructed on the basis of
collective memories are structured around the ìhouseî both literally and metaphorically. Looking more
specifically at the ways in which narratives are transmitted reveals families have different ìstylesî
of remembering. I identify three different manners of recounting among Tatars which are compared with
those of deported ethnic Germans also located in Ukraine and Uzbekistan. In addition to narratives,
memory is mobilized for political purposes through imagery produced by Crimean Tatar artists. The
contours of knowledge about the post- Soviet context can be expanded by considering the way narratives
are positioned within a whole spectrum of practices of remembering.