Research on the Ethnography of the Fergana Valley, 1991–2026: A Historiographical Analysis of Articles and Conference Papers in Social Science and Humanities Publications

This article examines the research questions, the evidentiary practices and the interpretations in the journal articles and conference papers upon the ethnography of the Fergana Valley published between 1991 and 2026. Rather than treating publication dates or numbers as evidence of disciplinary change, it compares the uses of historical sources and field materials, the assumptions behind ethnic classification, and the limits of generalizing from local cases. Studies of livelihoods, of communities and of rituals are read alongside later scholarship upon ethnonyms, borders, migration, local memory and intangible cultural heritage. A chronological and problem-oriented comparison reveals the continuing coexistence of historical-ethnographic reconstruction, of critical studies of ethnic categories and of ethnographies of everyday life. The findings are limited to the selected corpus of articles and conference papers and do not claim to cover the entire literature.