Argent russe, cérémonies tadjikes : faire et défaire les liens

Abstract

Depuis la fin de la guerre civile au Tadjikistan (1992-1997), on observe une augmentation concomitante des flux migratoires des hommes vers la Russie et des dépenses pour les mariages. Cet article s’interroge sur le rôle des remises de fonds dans la négociation (maintien, rupture) des liens de parenté et des logiques de distribution et de circulation de biens à l’occasion des rituels des cycles de vie (mariages notamment), qui permettent à « ceux qui restent » de s’inscrire dans des réseaux de solidarité et d’entraide.

‘A second wife is not really a wife’: polygyny, gender relations and economic realities in Tajikistan

“…If women themselves perceive financial autonomy as being of great value, they do not necessarily think the same of the 'social autonomy' which single working women may enjoy. In fact, networks of social relations are of great importance in Tajikistan, because one can rely on them to perform life-cycle ceremonies or when in need of economic support (Cleuziou 2013). Moreover, single women who can provide for themselves and who turn men's proposals down demonstrate a strong personality, especially when they live in rural areas, because women living out of marriage remain suspicious in Tajikistan.…”

“…For both the bride and the groom the first marriage constitutes a rite of passage and is of huge significance in terms of prestige-building and status completion for their families. Marriage ceremonies (tu'y) are the occasions of family and neighbours' gatherings, but also of ostentatious expense, through which families build up their respectability inside their neighbouring community; and through the organization of giftexchanges with their affines and neighbours they also create or reinforce relations of reciprocity on which networks of sociability are based (Cleuziou 2013;Rubinov 2014).…”

Gender and nation in post-Soviet Central Asia: From national narratives to women's practices

“…All research converge around the idea that women's conditions have worsened compared to Soviet times, be it specific to women's living conditions or with regard to the general population. The vulnerable economic situation accompanies a general revival of narratives on conservative gender roles epitomized by the "cult of domesticity" (Tohidi 1997, 161) and the reinforcement of women's informal networks (Werner 1997;Cleuziou 2013). If some research points to ruptures with the Soviet past in terms of promoted gender norms in the framework of national ideologies, others emphasize continuities with the previous period, which are "as powerful as the dramatic ruptures" (Gal and Kligman 2000, 4).…”