Omelicheva, Mariya Y.2017-09-182017-09-182016-03Omelicheva, M. Y. (2016). Islam and power legitimation: instrumentalisation of religion in Central Asian States. Contemporary Politics, 22(2), 144-163. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13569775.2016.1153287https://hdl.handle.net/1808/24970How can Islam play multiple and contradictory roles as a source of violence and peace, and a marker of identity differences and national unity? This study argues that religion, as a system of beliefs, manifests itself through discourses, which not only render intelligibility to religious practices and beliefs but also serve as the instruments of social control and regulation. An infinite variety of organizational and ideological differences within Islam presents the possibility for instrumentalisation of religion by stakeholders interested in accomplishing distinctive political aims connected to political legitimation. The study offers an empirical analysis of instrumentalisation of Islam by governments of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and uses this evidence for developing a framework linking various discursive representations of religion to their political uses.This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Contemporary Politics in 2016, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/13569775.2016.1153287.IslamInstrumentalisation of religionKazakhstanUzbekistanArticle10.1080/13569775.2016.1153287openAccess