Abstract:

During the Cold War era, Radio Liberty emerged as a pivotal initiative by the United States, providing a platform for Soviet émigrés and diaspora groups to disseminate anti-Soviet narratives and advocate for the independence of their respective homelands. Notably, the Turkestanian diaspora utilized Radio Liberty as a conduit for political expression and cultural broadcasting. This paper contends that Radio Liberty played a significant role in preserving Turkestanian identity within the diaspora and facilitating the transmission of national discourse and cultural heritage across borders. Through its Turkestanian Service and affiliated subsections, Radio Liberty not only served as a strategic tool in Cold War geopolitics but also inadvertently became a bastion for cultural revitalization among Turkestanian émigrés, fostering the intergenerational transmission of national historical knowledge and strengthening their collective identity. By empowering Turkestanian emigres to contribute to knowledge production through various resources and networks, and by facilitating the preservation of their intellectual works, Radio Liberty acted as a repository for knowledge that had been suppressed under Soviet rule, thus safeguarding cultural, religious, and political heritage that might otherwise have been lost. Consequently, Radio Liberty transcended its role as a mere broadcaster, evolving into a multifaceted institution that served as a center for education, research, and archiving for the Turkestanian diaspora. Its existence laid the foundation for the resurgence of Turkestanian identity amidst the intricate geopolitical dynamics of the Cold War. By delving into the multifaceted relationships between American strategic interests and the aspirations of emigres, as well as examining how Radio Liberty influenced the national discourse of the Turkestanian diaspora, this study seeks to delineate the unique role of the radio station in shaping the contours of identity formation within this community. Elucidating the intricate interplay between identity construction/preservation and the operations of Radio Liberty, this paper aims to make contributions to the realms of Cold War politics and diaspora studies with a special emphasis on identity formation and nationalism.