Outside of the high drama of events such as collectivization or the forcible unveiling campaign, the Soviet government put in decades of everyday work to create the social, economic, educational, and familial structures of modern, socialist Central Asian societies. For their part, Central Asians were not simply obedient subjects of the state, but actively modified state and party instructions to suit their own needs and values, or rejected them and created religious, social and economic relations that were increasingly beyond Moscow's control as the USSR developed through the post -war decades. Central Asians were able to do this in part because the learned how to operate the system themselves, at least at the local and republican levels. As historians explore the social and cultural history of Soviet Central Asia, we see a complex, not always unequal, set of dialogues between the republics and the center.

Goals
This workshop will bring together scholars to discuss theoretical and specific questions about the development of modern societies in Central Asia. Participants will read, debate, and present their current thought and work as we explore the many ways in which people lived their lives within and outside of Soviet strictures.

Format
The moderator will lead a discussion of reading and research issues, and participants will present their research. The framing issues to be considered include: What might "social history" look like in this context? Who had power, what categories of power existed, how did individuals and groups exercise power at various levels? What are the meanings of "modernization" here?