Fieldwork in Uzbekistan
An important aspect of my work examines entrepreneurship as a powerful tool for decolonization. To delve into this topic, I embarked on fieldwork in Uzbekistan, where I travelled to Tashkent, Samarkand, Shakhrisabz, Gijduan, Bukhara, Khiva, and the Ferghana Valley. During this period, I collected 31 narratives from entrepreneurs, with a specific focus on how their businesses are being utilized to revive their identity and culture.
In recent years, the global discourse surrounding decolonization efforts has gained significant momentum. As part of this discourse, there has been an increased recognition of the role that entrepreneurship can play in facilitating the decolonization process. While decolonization approaches may vary across different contexts, entrepreneurship has proven to be a potent tool for communities seeking to assert their autonomy and overcome the lingering effects of colonialism.