Gender, Islam, and social changein Uzbekistan

Nation‐Building in Central Asia: Institutions, Politics, and Culture

“…19 Across the region, in fact, collective ritual practices have come to play central roles in personal observances and in national and religious celebrations. 20 Sometimes these celebrations occur under the auspices of the state, and at times they take place despite the state's suspicion and mistrust. In Uzbekistan since 1991, for example, both state and non-state actors have actively used musical heritage as "a tool to form a national self-consciousness and cultural identity," seeking to forge a "national music linking ancient times to the present."…”

“…69 In Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, state authorities have tried to incorporate female religious authorities-the otin-oyi and bibi-khalife-into the orbit of the state by employing them as teachers of religion in schools and other state-sponsored projects. 70 Throughout the region, the state's preference has been to shape Islam as a cultural foundation and as an apolitical aspect of heritage that represents national identity. 71 In Uzbekistan, President Karimov and other state functionaries deployed an officially sanctioned lexicon when referring to Islam's role in civic and social identity, frequently referring to a politically sanitized notion of musulmanchilik (Muslimness) when discussing spirituality.…”

Central Asia, Anthropology of

“…Khalid (2007) suggests that the Soviet evisceration of religion was so effective, that after 1991 there was little sense of what Islam was, beyond a loose recognition that certain ethnic affiliations and religious confessions once had an affinity: to be Kazakh, was thus ipso facto to be Muslim, irrespective of practice, knowledge, or belief. Similarly perhaps, since the domestic realm was not immediately in the public eye, it became an important conduit for continuing and passing on religious and other rituals and traditions (Kandiyoti and Azimova, 2004;Fathi, 2006). Arguably (McBrien and Pelkmans, 2008), there are parallels between the ideology of a competitive neoliberal market and the range of new religions on offer, echoing Ruthven (1991).…”

Status of Women in Uzbekistan

“…In fact Otines were honorific titles and referred to the educated ladies, especially ladies of the court. [16] In the late 19 th century and early 20 th centuries , long before the Bolshevik group, a progressive movement of the national intelligentsia known as Jadidism had raised the issue of drawing women into social and cultural life as part of its programme to revitalize and reorganize society. Shura-i-Islam, a Jadidist organisation, was the first to make the issue of women"s participation in elections a part of its programme.…”