I am breaking stereotypes about Uzbeks in the West – Tanya Merchant

Don't be quick to assume that only Uzbeks admire foreign music, languages, and cultures. There are also individuals abroad—some even born in Uzbekistan—who speak Uzbek better than many living in the country today. These individuals actively promote Uzbek culture abroad, including in European countries, and even author books about it.

One such person, whom we would like to introduce to you today, embodies all of these qualities. She not only conducts academic research but also contributes directly to Central Asian culture as a dutar performer. The guest of QALAMPIR.UZ is Tanya Merchant, a renowned American ethnomusicologist who has conducted in-depth research on Uzbek music, the role of female artists in society, and cultural transformations in the post-Soviet period.

Tanya Herter Merchant was born in 1978 in the U.S. state of Alaska. She is currently a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, specializing in ethnomusicology. She is the author of the book "Women Musicians of Uzbekistan: From the Courtyard to the Conservatory". Since 2002, she has been conducting research in the field of Uzbek musicology. She recalls how she became interested in this subject:

“I met Roziya Sultanova while I was doing my master’s degree in London. She taught at the university and played the dutar. We talked often. Once, I invited her to a New Year’s Eve celebration. She asked me to sing American folk songs. I performed them, others sang their traditional songs, and Roziya opa played the dutar. It was so graceful and beautiful—I was captivated. After that, I picked up the dutar for the first time and started learning to play it. During my master’s studies, I began visiting Roziya opa’s home weekly for lessons. I later chose the same subject—Uzbek traditional music—for my postgraduate studies. That’s also when I met Malika Ziyoeva and Ruzibi Khojieva, and my dutar journey truly began.”

You can watch the full interview in the video player above or on QALAMPIR.UZ’s official YouTube channel.