Since Uzbekistan's independence, these young people have been living in a society marked by opposition between the “Islam of the Enlightenment,” the official symbol of the tradition and history of the Uzbek nation, and a political Islam perceived as extremist and under the influence of foreign Islamist movements.

To understand the Islamic revival observed in recent years among young Uzbeks, it is necessary to distinguish between the revival of religiosity among Uzbek migrant workers abroad, especially in Russia, and the resurgence of external signs of religious affiliation in Uzbekistan. In Russia, young Uzbeks find themselves in contact with a transnational Islam that advocates a rigorous practice far removed from the Uzbek religious tradition and can lead to their radicalization. In Uzbekistan, the outward signs seem to reflect an identity strategy, be it economic, social, or matrimonial, rather than the expression of a deeply lived religious identity.

Olivier Ferrando is a Lecturer in political science at the Catholic University of Lyon.

This paper is available in French: Islam, politique et société en Ouzbékistan. Enquête sur le renouveau religieux de la jeunesse ouzbèke