This article examines the historical aspiration to establish a national state in Turkestan during the early 20th century. It analyzes the political, social, and ideological conditions that made the dream of national self-determination both conceivable and contested. Drawing from the legacy of the Jadid movement, the short-lived Kokand Autonomy, and broader anti-colonial efforts, the paper identifies key opportunities that facilitated the emergence of national consciousness, as well as the structural obstacles—imperial repression, ethnic fragmentation, ideological divisions, and external interventions—that ultimately undermined these efforts. The study contributes to the understanding of how nationalist projects evolve under colonial and revolutionary conditions.

Turkestan, nation-building, autonomy, Jadidism, colonialism, Kokand Autonomy, obstacles, national identity.

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