Central Asia's Geopolitical Identity and Structure in Context of Bifurcative History (to the Question of Historiographical Analysis)

Discussion is offered on the complex and fluid geopolitical identity of the Central Asian region, which historically served as an important bridge between Eastern and Western civilizations, where trade activities and information exchange along the Silk Road trajectory often took place. The study analyzes the state of coexistence of “closedness and connectedness” of Central Asian countries and the mediating role they have played in different historical periods. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the five Central Asian states began to form a new structure of identity and external perception; in this regard, the author analyzes the internal structure and its dynamics, including the process of Russian expansion; changing governance models; and the administrative and parallel structures inherited by the Central Asian states after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The study is based on the results obtained from the analysis of sources within the framework of the civilizational approach in the analysis of Central Asian identity, combined with the methods of historical-comparative analysis. Based on the results of the study, the author proposes a hypothesis of new historical narratives and their influence on the construction of national identities in the context of the pluralistic and multilinear nature of the development of the “Big Five” states that are currently part of the Commonwealth of Independent States.