A Regional Idea without a Regional Identity? National Narratives and the Limits of Regionalism in Central Asia

Abstract

This study examines why stronger regional cooperation in Central Asia does not necessarily lead to a consolidated regional identity. It explores how national narratives in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan enable or constrain the emergence of a shared regional “we.” The study adopts a conceptual and analytical approach, critically synthesizing scholarship on constructivism, nation-building, identity, and regionalism. Official statements and political initiatives provide illustrations rather than an independent empirical dataset. The analysis distinguishes between the idea of a region, regionalism, and regional identity, examining their relationships through Soviet territorial institutions, national historical narratives, and contemporary cooperation. It argues that shared historical and cultural resources underpin collective belonging through political interpretation, mutual recognition, and sustained social practices. National sovereignty and overlapping Eurasian, Turkic, Persian, Islamic, and other affiliations do not inherently preclude regional belonging. Consultative mechanisms developed since 2017 strengthen regional agency but do not demonstrate a corresponding consolidation of collective identity. The study locates the limits of regionalism in the gap between coordinated action and mutual recognition of membership in a political community, rather than insufficient supranational integration. It does not measure public identification and proposes examining elite narratives alongside public perceptions, cross-border interactions, and everyday experiences of belonging.

Keywords: Central Asia; regional identity; national narratives; regionalism; the idea of a region.