Islam, Identity, and Conflict in Central Asia and the Caucasus (Research Brief)

My research investigates the phenomenon of changing religious identities and practices and changing religio-political attitudes among people of the former Soviet republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus. In in-depth cases studies of four countries in these regions (three of which are sponsored by IREX) I explore several problems of Islamic (or in some cases Christian) identity, political mobilization, and potential or actual conflict that are of interest both to pressing public policy debates and theoretical discussions. First, to what extent is Islam becoming a more salient identity in these regions, and why? Second, under what conditions does Islamic identity become the basis for mass mobilization and violent conflict? More precisely, how, when, and why does Islamic identity become a factor in conflict? Third, why do we see great variation in the degree to which Islamic identities have spurred mobilization? And fourth, is political Islamicization at the social level a cause or consequence of violence and state repression?

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Kathleen Collins, of the University of Minnesota (formerly of the University of Notre Dame), was a 2003-04 Individual Advanced Research Opportunities (IARO) fellow.