Paper long abstract:

Role of political entrepreneurs in minority communities

The paper seeks to answer the question: why do some multiethnic states accommodate the cultural and linguistic needs of minority groups, while others do not? The author is interested in explaining why Dungan diaspora in Kyrgyzstan retained the official sponsorship of language and culture (including newspapers, theater in Dungan language), while Dungans of Kazakhstan lost state support for their language studies despite relatively large diaspora. More importantly, in Uzbekistan, which also has a sizable community, Dungan minority had assimilated and does not have any opportunity to ask for recognition of difference. So why is it? All states have official policies of recognizing minorities, but reality varies. The hunch is that the difference is explained by the presence of economic elites that are supported by active political activists, i.e. political entrepreneurs who can channel financial resources into political mobilization and policy change. The author's definition of an ethnic political entrepreneur is someone who is involved in politics often in informal ways, supported by ethnic economic elites, to influence decision making process in neo-patrimonial states in favor of his/her community with small or no personal rewards. The more powerful political entrepreneurs are the more opportunities the minorities have.

The study is mostly based on primary sources, including in-depth interviews with cultural elites of the Dungan communities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, analyses of official statistics, mass media and published materials on U Dungan Studies

Theory of political entrepreneurship coupled with the enclave and collective theories provide a valuable perspective for understanding these unique systems which appear to benefit one ethnic group to a much greater extent than others. The paper will contribute to better understanding of intra processes in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as well as in Central Asia.

Keywords: Dungan diaspora, political entrepreneurs, identity, minorities, Central Asia.