Title: Land and Water Problems in the Khanate of Khiva and Their Socio-Political Consequences
Authors: Mutallibjonov Boburmirzo
Volume: 9
Issue: 8
Pages: 144-148
Publication Date: 2025/08/28
Abstract:
This study examines the land and water problems of the Khanate of Khiva through emphasizing the interplay of environment, politics, and society. The introduction situates irrigation as the foundation of Khiva's agricultural economy and highlights its role in shaping state power and social hierarchies. The literature review reveals that while Central Asian historiography has addressed irrigation systems, limited attention has been given to their broader socio-political consequences in Khiva, creating a gap that this research seeks to fill. The methodology employs a qualitative historical approach, combining archival texts, comparative studies, and interpretive analysis to reconstruct the dynamics of water management and its impacts. The results demonstrate that irrigation was both a tool of political control and a source of inequality: elites monopolized fertile land and canal access, while peasants faced exploitation and vulnerability to ecological shifts. At the same time, popular resistance-including tax evasion, sabotage, and migration-emerged as a recurring response to such pressures. The discussion highlights how land-water conflicts reinforced authoritarian governance, structured social stratification, and tied Khiva to regional and imperial geopolitics. These findings underline that irrigation was not merely a technical system but a nexus of power, culture, and resilience. By connecting ecological dependence with social and political outcomes, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of Khiva's history and the broader patterns of Central Asian state formation.