Subject: Introduction - Mike Thurman
From: Mike Thurman (mthurman@bellsouth.net)
Date: Mon Apr 12 1999 - 10:00:43 EDT
Hello to all:
I am encouraged by this listserv and the diverse individuals who have
replied to it so far. By way of introduction, let me tell you something
about my involvement in the Ferghana Valley.
I am an unemployed Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Central Eurasian
Studies at Indiana University, soon to be a Ph.D. (Khudaga shukur, I defend
on May 13).
My interests in the region are quite diverse: economic development,
environmental amelioration, inter-ethnic relations, politics, and Islam. I
began conducting research on the valley in 1989, when I wrote my
undergraduate senior research on the ethnic riots that took place that
summer. My research on the socioeconomic situation in the region led me to
focus on the cotton economy and its environmental effects.
I first visited Ferghana in 1992 to improve my Uzbek language skills and
orient myself for further research. My Master's thesis deals with
irrigated agriculture and economic development in the region under the
Kokand khanate. I have also written class papers on topics as obscure as
the religious and economic significance of the Takht-i Suleyman /Throne of
Solomon pilgrimage site in Osh.
I returned to the valley in 1995-96, where I conducted on-site field work
on a former state farm. I have just finished a doctoral dissertation
entitled "Modes of Organization in Central Asian Irrigation: The Ferghana
Valley, 1876 to Present." This work is based on data from the Central
State Archives of Uzbekistan and my field work. It shows how water
management in the region became more unsustainable as farmers lost power
over decision-making in water management at local levels. You can read a
short summary of the Stalin era section of the dissertation in my article
"Modes of Organization in Central Asian Irrigation in the Late 1920s and
1930s." It is online at
http://members.tripod.com/jmthurman/atraf-muhit/vodkhoz.html.
This year I will publish a long article on the cotton economy in Central
Asia that focuses on the Ferghana Valley. It is entitled "The
'Command-Administrative System' of Cotton Farming in Uzbekistan: From
Collectivization and 'Cotton Independence' to Reform and 'Grain
Independence'." The article will be available as part of the Papers on
Inner Asia series published by the Research Institute for Inner Asian
Studies at Indiana University.
I look forward to participating in the discussions of this group. Here is
my initial attempt to spark a debate: I think that it is important for the
future of the millions who live in the valley that a balance is struck
between regional development of the valley as whole and the interests of
the Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan administrations that dominate
decision-making here. From what I understand, this is one of the main
purposes of the UNDP Ferghana Valley Regional Development Project. How is
this to be accomplished? Is it through empowerment at local levels? If
so, how do you transfer political power from the regional leaders who
jealously guard it to the dehqans?
Best Regards,
Mike Thurman
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