“Nested Globalization” in Osh, Kyrgyzstan: Urban Youth Culture in a “Southern” City

This article discusses cultural globalization in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, by examining the everyday lives of male students. The students’ activities and frames of reference are shaped by a plethora of transnational actors and media images. Exploring the specificity of cultural globalization in the city, the article analyses the ways in which young people’s experiences are temporarily and spatially »nested«. The process of »nested globalization« manifests itself both in the available cultural repertoires and in the ways in which the students use them. Drawing on extensive ethnographic research, the article maps out young people’s engagements with an unprecedented range of cultural repertoires, from Islamic rhetoric to rap music. In so doing, it suggests that globalization as experienced by the students of Osh, is often filtered through neighbouring regions, and through Russia in particular.