Abstract
Abstract This article introduces readers to the Special Issue on the politics of popular revolts in Kyrgyzstan and outlines the rationale for a renewed empirical and theoretical debate that would focus on more equitable production of knowledge. The existing literature, namely the scholarship on patronage and “color revolutions,” downplays citizens’ agency and neglects the democratic beginnings of Kyrgyzstan’s popular uprisings. These ontological misrepresentations foment epistemic injustice against the tens of thousands of citizens who have participated—and sacrificed their lives—in struggles against dispossession and inequalities. Based on ethnographic material and documented stories, the present article uncovers popular voices with the aim of drawing attention to local idioms of change. It proposes to read popular revolts as disruptions of the constituted order and hence the return of the political. Popular uprisings thus constitute deeply democratic moments, as they seek to destabilize the oligarchic status quo, even if fleetingly.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
