URBAN PROTESTS UNDER NEOLIBERAL TRANSFORMATIONS IN CENTRAL ASIA: FRAMING ANALYSIS

Abstract

The advent of neoliberal reforms in Central Asia resulted in variegated economic, social, and political transformations. Although meant to encourage fast marketization of economy and empower the population, their adverse consequences seem to have spurred social mobilizations in the region. This paper seeks to provide an overview of theoretic frameworks for the analysis of urban protests as a form of activism in the region. Authoritarian neoliberalism accurately captures the roots of social activity in the cities which provide and reveal the scope and of neoliberal changes. Unlike those described in mainstream literature, local social mobilizations are grassroot in nature, occurring without the support of institutionalized actors.