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 effects of neoliberal changes . Unlike those described in mainstream literature, local social mobilizations are grassroot in nature, occurring without the support of institutionalized actors .