Historiography of the formation of modern Uzbek identity at the beginning of the XX century (based on English materials)

At the present stage, issues of Uzbek identity are a necessary component for studying the history of the formation of Uzbek national identity. However, this question is unreasonably left out of sight of local ethnologists. But the existing studies cannot reveal the full picture of Uzbek identity. This article is an attempt to show the way of the formation of Uzbek identity, its features, stages of formation, the methodology used. On the basis of English-language materials, first of all, the methodology used is disclosed, and how this foreign methodology revealed or failed to reveal some features of the development of Uzbek identity. In identity studies, it is important to understand and feel the boundary of identity. Because, without knowing the boundaries of a certain category of identity, a researcher can mix unwittingly artificially something that really cannot be mixed. In this regard, we tried to give some methodological concepts that will help determine the elusive edge of identity, which is so important for the implementation of a comprehensive analysis. Historiography of literature shows that foreign methodology differs significantly from local, and many aspects of the formation of Uzbeks\u27 identity are revealed from a different angle. Some researchers put forward any point of view that unwittingly form an artificial construction and try to put into this construction a formula for the emergence of Uzbek identity. It leads to a clouding of the understanding of “what is Uzbek identity” and complicates the crystallization of its borders. Also in the article the author tried to divide into categories the various authors’ accordings to their principle of posing and analyzing the question posed. Tracing the path of development of Uzbek identity, the main stages of this development were identified and their chronological framework was identified. This will allow the reader to trace clearly the paths and stages of the formation of modern Uzbek identity. The analysis revealed the main shortcomings in the methodology, in studying and comparing the results with local data. In the final part, general and specific features relating to foreign studies were highlighted. Several proposals were developed to break down existing barriers and improve interdisciplinary relationships. On the basis of the analysis, the author comes to the conclusion that the creation of a single national state was the impetus for the formation of Uzbeks as a nation. However, the roots of the national identity of Uzbekistan precede the revolution and are not Soviet