Changes in the relationship between borders and pastoral mobility in mountain regions of Central Asia

Abstract

For centuries, animal husbandry in Central Asian mountain regions has been characterised by seasonal mobility over considerable distances, bridging remarkable elevation differences and commuting between precolonial states and domains. During the Russian colonial rule and the socialist period, pastoral movements across the borders of the newly created colonial administrative units and the Soviet Republics were also not uncommon. In the course of the establishment of independent states in 1991, a break occurred that strongly restricted the transboundary mobility practices. Using examples from the Fergana Region, this chapter reconstructs historical demarcation patterns and the underlying interests of those in charge who advocated changes while also looking at the effects of those changes on mobility practices of the affected livestock owners. Finally, the paper compares the current border regimes and those from the historical examples and links to related socioecological challenges, which can represent serious threats to the fragile integrity of Central Asia’s post-Soviet societies.