Order at the Bazaar: Power and Trade in Central Asia

267 Pages·2017·3.907 MB·English

by  Regine A. Spector

ORDER AT THE BAZAAR

ORDER AT
THE BAZAAR
Power and Trade in Central Asia
Regine A. Spector
CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS ITHACA AND LONDON
Cornell University Press gratefully acknowledges receipt of a publication subvention
from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, which aided in the publication
of this book.
Copyright © 2017 by Cornell University
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts
thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from
the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House,
512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.
First published 2017 by Cornell University Press
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Spector, Regine A., 1976– author.
Title: Order at the bazaar : power and trade in Central Asia / Regine A.
Spector.
Description: Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 2017. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017004753 (print) | LCCN 2017006146 (ebook) | ISBN
9781501709326 (cloth : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781501712388 (epub/mobi) |
ISBN 9781501709746 (pdf)
Subjects: LCSH: Bazaars (Markets)—Kyrgyzstan—Bishkek. | Post-
communism—Economic aspects—Kyrgyzstan—Bishkek. | Bishkek
(Kyrgyzstan)—Commerce.
Classification: LCC HF5475.K982 B57 2017 (print) | LCC HF5475.K982
(ebook) | DDC 381/.1—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017004753
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and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such
materials include vegetable-based, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that are
recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further
information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu.
Cover: Scene in the Karasuu bazaar, Kyrgyzstan, August 2007.
Photograph by the author.
To my family

Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Introduction. The Possibility of Order 1
1. Varieties of Order in a New Market Context 5
2. Changing Meanings of Bazaar Trade in Central Asia 21
3. Organizing Collectively at Dordoi Bazaar 46
4. Adapting to Bazaar Ownership through Diplomacy 82
5. Centralizing to Modernize at Osh Bazaar 111
6. Becoming Trading Elders and Local Authorities 137
7. Local Orders in Post-Soviet Bazaars and Beyond 165
Conclusion. Rethinking Policy, Politics, and Development 179
Acknowledgments 191
Research Appendix 195
Notes 207
Index 247

Illustrations
Table
A. Interviews referenced 203
Figures
2.1. Number of bazaars in Kyrgyzstan (1980–2005) 25
2.2. Retail turnover in Kyrgyzstan (1994–2005) 26
Photos
2.1. Shuttle trade bags, Osh bazaar 23
3.1. Bus terminal and buses, Dordoi bazaar 47
3.2. Bus terminal and buses, Dordoi bazaar 47
3.3. Trading row, Dordoi bazaar 59
3.4. Double-stacked containers, Dordoi bazaar 63
3.5. Open container, Dordoi bazaar 78
5.1. Rice pavilion, Osh bazaar 114
5.2. Street traders, Osh bazaar 116
5.3. Street traders, Osh bazaar 116
5.4. Main entrance, Osh bazaar 117
6.1. Kyrgyz kalpaks, Karasuu bazaar 146

ix