NATION-STATE BUILDING AND STATE SYMBOL: REVIVAL OR INVENTION OF HISTORY IN UZBEKISTAN

After the breakdown of USSR, Central Asian Countries are accomplishing politico-economic transformation and nation-state building. The leading group of Uzbekistan is collecting the sources of political legitimacy and is "inventing" the tradition of new state. National flag, national anthem, state emblem have been changed. Monuments and symbols in urban and rural area have been displaced or constructed. It is a big burden for political elite groups because they not only have to find the national elements, but also have to take off the traces of Russian rule. There are some obstacles in the process of nation-state building because the ruling group came from the communist party under the soviet system and the multinational structure of this country. One of the most peculiar trends is that the contents of formal symbols have changed from Russian to Uzbekian elements, but the arrangement of monuments have not changed. Such symbolic politics reflects the dual faces of the nation state building process. It is more easy to establish the national identity than to get the national legitimacy for power bloc