Clan Politics: Explaining the Persistence of Subethnic Divisions in Tajikistan: The Comparative Approach

This study is about the persistence and transformation of clan politics in Tajikistan. It is a single case study that takes a longitudinal analysis of the variation and persistence in identity category(clan) across time --pre Soviet, Soviet and post Soviet eras. Tajikistan is a case that tells us much about the encounter between clan based societies and modern state institutions. Despite the fact that it had experienced a heavy handed state push for modernization that included coercive attempts to root out clan relationships, clan networks remain central to political life. Why clans politics persists in a case that felt the brunt of Soviet modernization onslaught is the central puzzle that inspires this research project. The central argument of this thesis is that clans persists because of the policies of Soviet Union, that is what the state created in one policy area yielded unintended consequences in another policy area thus promoting the use of clan ties