Questions of agency and the artisan within Uzbekistan

This paper seeks to address how discourses of fashion intersect with global politico‐economic processes by looking at the marketing of ‘Uzbek’ fashions and textiles both within Uzbekistan and internationally.
The concepts of nationality and ethnicity within Central Asia will be examined closely and used as a lens for discussing how the greater political and economic dialogues of the region become embodied within the clothing and textiles. Exploring the complexities of Central Asian identity politics is vital to understanding how ideas about culture, identity and value are conceptualized and connected within Uzbekistan and how these concepts are translated, interpreted and augmented for marketing materials aimed at a ‘western’ market.
Where does the role of the artisan fit within this matrix of culture, identity and value and how can her agency be understood within the structure of global value chains? How does the relationship between producer and consumer work when ‘western’ designers or brands appropriate ‘Uzbek’ designs, in the climate for increased transparency across supply chains in fashion and textiles? How are these issues related to and explained by the socio‐political and economic landscape of the region?
The paper seeks to address these questions and link the roles of artisan – designer – manufacturer – retailer – consumer through a series of interviews, visual and textual analyses to consider the questions of agency and the artisan within Uzbekistan.