One of the emerging problems with representation and treatment of minorities and indigenous groups in education in the transitional economies of the Central Asian states is the dichotomy between the emancipatory logic of egalitarianism (the continuation of the Enlightenment) and the rhetoric of nation building through a process of ethno-nationalism. How does one build a democratic, empowering and culturally pluralistic post-Soviet society, which is already characterised by a dominance of one ethnicity and the resulting marginalisation of other ethnicities and minorities, a growing social differentiation, income inequality, and inequitable access to education, exploitation and poverty? This is the question that can be asked of any nation in Central Asia. This article explores the directions in educational research dealing with the political, cultural, and educational developments in Central Asia, new citizenship and language policies and inter-ethnic tensions and conflict.