Professional Affiliation

, Social Development Department, The World Bank

Wilson Center Project

Women, Poverty and Conflicting Ideologies in Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan

Project Summary

A sociocultural anthropological investigation into the gender ideologies in the context of empoverished Kyrgyz women during the post-Soviet period (1991-1996). This study examines women’s role in both the household and in the creation of a new society, under the mires of Islam, global consumerism, and nationalism, taking into account preconceptions formed in the Soviet education system. In addition, this study addresses broader concerns, such as the category of women as it negotiates political, relgious and economic contexts. The implications of this project may possibly be used to address issues of Islam and modernization, both within Central Asia and in conjunction with traditionally Islamic centers of the world beyond the Soviet reach.