Contribution short abstract:

This presentation discusses the effects of geographical and imaginary remoteness of mining sites on local practices of work and aspirations for future income by the example of the Angren region, one of Uzbekistan's main mining areas for gold, coal and formerly uranium.

Contribution long abstract:

The region of Angren is one of Uzbekistan's main mining areas for gold and coal, formerly also for uranium. With the demise of the Soviet Union and the mass emigration of ethnic Germans and Russians, many of them specialised engineers from the mining areas, Angren has garnered a reputation of postindustrial tristesse over the last thirty years. Partly the emigrés have been substituted by newcomers from the Ferghana Valley and southern Uzbekistan, attracted by the closeness to the capital Tashkent. Although the town has taken some effort to recast itself in a more positive light, problems posed by hazardous matter that remains in the soil, water and air remains. While mining still is an important income option for many, there is an acute sense of need for income diversification, especially after mining companies now do no longer offer the same social, health and financial benefits that they once provided. Ruins of former miners' resorts in the mountains are a visible symbol of local nostalgia and centempt for Soviet elites at the same time. Tourism is locally often regarded as the big game changer but not everyone wants or can engange in the tourism business. By taking two small mining places in the Angren mountains as vantage point, this presentation will discuss the effects of geographical and imaginary remoteness of mining sites on local practices of work and aspirations for future income.