The Surrogate Proletariat : Moslem Women and Revolutionary Strategies in Soviet Central Asia, 1919-1929

The attempted modernization of Central Asia by the central Soviet government in the 1920's was a dramatic confrontation between radical, determined, authoritarian communists and a cluster of traditional Moslem societies based on kinship, custom, and religion. The Soviet authorities were determined to undermine the traditional social order through the destruction of existing family structures and worked to achieve this aspect of revolution through the mobilization of women. Gregory J. Massell's study of the interaction between central power and local traditions concentrates on the development of female roles in revolutionary modernization. Women in Moslem societies were segregated, exploited, and degraded; they were, therefore, a structural weak point in the traditional order—a surrogate proletariat. Through this potentially subversive group, it was believed, intense conflicts could be generated within society which would lead to its disintegration and subsequent reconstitution. The first part of the book isolates the trends that made Central Asia vulnerable to outside intervention, and examines the factors that impelled the communist elites to turn to Moslem women as potential revolutionary allies. In the second part, Professor Massed analyzes Soviet perceptions of female inferiority and of the revolutionary potential of Moslem women. Part Three is an account of specific Soviet actions based on these assumptions. The fourth part of the book deals with the variety of responses these actions evoked. Originally published in 1974. The **Princeton Legacy Library** uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. Cover Contents Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction The Concerns of This Book The Structure of this Study Some Limitations of This Study: Problems of Data and Interpretation Map Part 1. Revolution and Tradition: The Initial Confrontation 1. Imposing a Structure of Power in Central Asia: The Determinants of Soviet Success The Setting: An Overview The Soviet Conquest: Conditioning Factors Primordial Cleavages and Conflicts Tsarist Imperial Politics Native Elite Orientations in a Revolutionary Era Princely-Theocratic and Tribal Elites Religious Elites Secular Elites Discontinuity Between Local Concerns and Supra-Communal Issues: General Implications 2. Problems of Access and Influence in a Traditional Milieu: The Quest for Strategic Leverage Points Problems of Access and Influence: The Relevance of Leninism The Specter of a Chartless Voyage The Specter of General Indifference The Specter of Political Reductionism The Specter of Economic Exploitation The Specter of Coercion and Rebellion Problems of Access and Influence: Initial Approaches Constitutional Engineering Environmental Engineering Organizational Engineering The Quest for Leverage: The Relevance of "Action from Above" The Quest for Leverage: The Imperatives of "Action in Depth" Part 2. Justification for Action: The Potential Use of Women in Revolutionary Transformation 3. Moslem Women as a Surrogate Proletariat: Soviet Perceptions of Female Inferiority Toward a Vision of a Surrogate Proletariat The Catalogue and Imagery of Female Inferiority Education Economic Activities Social Participation Family Life The Consequences The Implications 4. Female Inferiority and Radical Social Change: Soviet Perceptions of the Revolutionary Potential of Women Revolutionary Action as Activation of a Surrogate Proletariat: Some Implicit Soviet Assumptions The Action-Scheme: Soviet Perceptions of Operational Imperatives and Opportunities Libertarian and Humanitarian Implications Implications for Traditional Authority Relations Effects on Kinship and Community Effects on Religion and Custom Implications for Property Relations Implications for Recruitment of Labor and Technical Cadres Implications for Recruitment of Political and Politically Relevant Cadres Implications for Revolutionary Potentials Abroad Part 3. Early Soviet Actions, 1924-1927 Introduction Toward a Strategy of Engineered Revolution Revolutionary Action as Insurgency by an Incumbent Alternatives for a Strategy of Engineered Revolution: Revolutionary Legalism, Administrative Assault, and Systematic Social Engineering 5. Toward Radical Judicial Reform: The Pattern of Revolutionary Legalism Determinants and Objectives The Drive Against Traditional Legal Structures The Drive Against Traditional Legal Norms 6. Toward Cultural Revolution by Decree: The Pattern of Administrative Assault Determinants and Objectives The Promise of Head-on Assault The Danger of Competitive Models The Danger of Subversive Superstructures Khudzhum: Head-on Assault on Customs and Taboos Preparations for the Campaign The First Phase The Second Phase Part 4. Responses and Outcomes, 1925-1929 Introduction. Heretical Models and the Management of Induced Tensions Revolutionary Action as a Tension-Management System Legalism and Assault as Heretical Models Responses and Outcomes: Problems of Assessment 7. Patterns of Popular Response: Implications of Tension-Inducing Action Patterns of Popular Response: Females Avoidance Selective Participation Militant Self-Assertion Uncontrolled Involvement Patterns of Popular Response: Males Evasion Selective Accommodation Limited Retribution Massive Backlash 8. Patterns of Institutional Performance: Implications of Tension-Controlling Action Soviet Administrative Apparatus: Native Personnel Behavior Circumlocution Selective Cooperation Sabotage Uncontrolled Self-Indulgence Soviet Administrative Apparatus: Non-Native Personnel Behavior Dissonant Improvisation Selective Enforcement Limited Retaliation Massive Repression 9. Reassessment and Retrenchment: From Legalism and Assault to Systematic Social Engineering Reassessment: Implications of Massive Enforcement and Repression Retrenchment: Toward Systematic Social Engineering The Pattern of Retrenchment Sanctions Reprisals Divorce Unveiling Role of the Zhenotdel and Related Associations New Social Infrastructure and "Systematic Work" The criterion of voluntarism The criterion of "mass" versus "class" The criterion of functional diversity and integration The criterion of practicality and relevance The criterion of political utility The criterion of selective and segregated cadre formation The criterion of graduated mobilization and socialization The criterion of self-liquidation Reassessment and Retrenchment: General Implications 10. Summary and Conclusion: Reflections on the Limits of Legalism and Assault as Revolutionary Strategies Bibliography Index The attempted modernization of Central Asia by the central Soviet government in the 1920's was a dramatic confrontation between radical, determined, authoritarian communists and a cluster of traditional Moslem societies based on kinship, custom, and religion. The Soviet authorities were determined to undermine the traditional social order through the destruction of existing family structures and worked to achieve this aspect of revolution through the mobilization of women. Gregory J. Massell's study of the interaction between central power and local traditions concentrates on the development of female roles in revolutionary modernization. Women in Moslem societies were segregated, exploited, and degraded; they were, therefore, a structural weak point in the traditional order—a surrogate proletariat. Through this potentially subversive group, it was believed, intense conflicts could be generated within society which would lead to its disintegration and subsequent reconstitution. The first part of the book isolates the trends that made Central Asia vulnerable to outside intervention, and examines the factors that impelled the communist elites to turn to Moslem women as potential revolutionary allies. In the second part, Professor Massed analyzes Soviet perceptions of female inferiority and of the revolutionary potential of Moslem women. Part Three is an account of specific Soviet actions based on these assumptions. The fourth part of the book deals with the variety of responses these actions evoked. Originally published in 1974. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.