Historical evolution of the self-government body: socio-political and spiritual aspects

Abstract

The article examines the historical evolution of the mahalla institution in Uzbekistan from early communal forms to its contemporary legal and political status as a citizens’ self-government body. The study considers the development of territorial communities, craft and religious associations, urban mahallas, forms of local social solidarity, and mechanisms of collective responsibility during the medieval period, the khanates, the colonial and Soviet eras, and the years of independence. Particular attention is paid to the continuity between historical community practices and the modern functions of the mahalla in civil society, social assistance, moral education, and local participation. Using historical-comparative and problem-chronological approaches, the article argues that the mahalla should not be mechanically equated with a modern administrative unit, but should be understood as a historically changing institution whose social, political, spiritual, and self-governing functions have been repeatedly transformed while preserving important elements of continuity.