Reassessment of history, or The modern appearance of the "national Uzbek identity" in the minds of foreign researchers
After the collapse of the Soviet state in 1991, significant changes in the states of Central Asia, as well as assessment/ reassessment of now national history and historical events took place. This process occurred in almost all five states, except for Tajikistan, which from 1992-1997 was in a state of civil war, but after the end of this war, it also joined this process. Each Central Asian state has chosen its own path, its heroes/enemies, its symbols/signs, culture and traditions to legitimize its history and state. After gaining independence, the development of historical science also proceeded unevenly. The long existence under the control of the Soviet government also influenced the scientific activities of each state. Many scientific traditions of the twentieth century (Marxist, class) and methodology (primordialism) almost invariably continued to exist after the creation of independent states. After the collapse of the Soviet state, the established barriers to the study of all regions of the former socialist republics also fell. Central Asia enjoyed great interest among foreign researchers, which is evidenced by the sharp increase in political and academic publications in the early 90s of the twentieth century. The methodology of foreign studies of the identities of this region has also changed its guidelines. If until the 90s Central Asian identities were studied as colonized, peripheral, backward, unchanging, traditional, Muslim, then after the collapse of the Soviet state they began to be studied as post-colonial and post-social. However, instead of adequate, competent assessments of these events, subjective opinions and conclusions of researchers/centers and institutions began to appear to a greater extent. A revision begins on the basis of new directions, such as: constructivism, ethnosymbolism, modernism and postmodernism. The purpose of this article is to study and analyze English-language materials on the identity of the postcolonial Uzbeks (after 1991). At the end of the article we will try to give our reasoning and conclusions on the selected problem.