Paper short abstract:

Based on fieldwork in Central Asia, Russia and China, the paper traces post-Socialist trade formation along the 'New Silk Road'.The circulation and 'political lives' of goods will be explored in-between places such as a Siberian bazaar, a sewing-shop in Bishkek or a furniture factory near Guangzhou.

Paper long abstract:

During the Soviet era everything economic was deeply politicised. The production, distribution and consumption of goods were centrally planned, and since the 1930s deviations into private commerce had been condemned as 'criminal speculation'. This changed swiftly during the 1990s transformation period, when from the 'un-making of Soviet life' various forms of 'wild capitalism' and informal business-making emerged. In Kyrgyzstan for example, a small land-locked nation in Central Asia, independence was followed up by 'shock-therapy' reforms that introduced Western-style democratic and market economy principles. Soon, this profile qualified the country to become the prime regional hub for distributing a broad variety of goods 'made in China'. My contribution will first trace how the Kyrgyz 'pioneers' of this trade-craft began channeling such consumer products all the way to Russian bazaars. While establishing a vibrant diaspora in that 'near abroad', good profits always were opposed to substantial personal risks and cultural stigmatizations. About two decades later, a next generation of Kyrgyz business(wo)men is in place. Regardless whether these are apparel producers operating from home or middlemen who relocated to China, they face novel challenges in an accelerated, more 'consumer-oriented' and 'professionalized' economic environment. Drawing on recent fieldwork, my aim is to paint a picture of post-Socialist market formation along the so-called 'New Silk Road', which approaches the 'political life' of commodities through transnational flows in-between diverse locales, changing border and migratory regimes, and new regulatory bodies (e.g. 'Eurasian Economic Union').