From February to February and From Ru ba Ru to Rastokhez: Political Mobilisation in Late Soviet Tajikistan (1989-1990)

Over the course of the year between February 1989 and February 1990, Dushanbe underwent a political activisation. The capital of the Tajik SSR saw the development of an independent and antagonistic political club, Ru ba Ru, which with time developed into the national movement Rastokhez. Through a detailed analysis of Ru ba Ru and Rastokhez’s development and actions during the period of 1989-1990, this article demonstrates the ways in which these groups were able to harness the Tajik Soviet citizens’ economic and social concerns and mobilise them into a movement for political and cultural change.