Transforming Tajikistan: State-building and Islam in Post-Soviet Central Asia (International Library of Central Asian Studies)

"Tajikistan is a key state in Central Asia, and will become crucial to the regional power balance as it transitions away from Soviet government systems and responds to the rise of Chinese financial power alongside the continuing presence of Russian military might and instability in neighboring Afghanistan. This book demonstrates how the Soviet atheist legacy continues to influence current state structures, the regulation of religion, the formation of national identities, and the understanding of the place of religion in society. Helene Thibault focuses on the differences between secular nationhood in Tajikistan, and an increasingly popular and influential Muslim identity. Featuring extensive and original primary-source material, including 12 months of ethnographic fieldwork, Thibault demonstrates the profound and lasting influence of Soviet power structures and attitudes, and how secular and religious identities clash in a context of tightening authoritarianism."--Bloomsbury Publishing. Cover Title Copyright Dedication Contents List of Illustrations Glossary Note on Transliteration Acknowledgements Introduction: Religious Revival in Tajikistan Contributions and Limitations Organization of the Book 1. A Neo-Institutionalist Ethnography of Religious Revival Conducting Research in Tajikistan and in the Sughd Viloyat Subjectivity and Positionality in Research 2. The Soviet Secularization Project Soviet Scientific-Materialism Soviet Materialism: A Religion? Secularization, Soviet-Style Managing Religion: Constitutional Provisions and Laws Institutions of Regulation The Soviet Modernization Project: Views on Success and Failure Accommodation in Context 3. Tajikistan’s Political Landscape in the Aftermath of the Civil War Civil War Postwar Tajikistan Tightening Authoritarianism The Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan: A Slow but Steady Marginalization The Other Islamic Opposition 4. State Policies and Discourses in Independent Tajikistan Laws Regulating Religion and Religious Practice Institutions of Regulation The Patriotic Muslim The Hijab Issue The Virtuous Tajik Woman 5. Of Being Muslim in Tajikistan Assessing Religion The Believers The Disorder of Things Contested Boundaries Polygyny and Traditional Gender Roles Conclusion Islam in Tajikistan: National and International Influences Notes Bibliography Index Tajikistan is a key state in Central Asia, and will become crucial to the rHélène Thibault is assistant professor in Political Science at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan since 2016. Prior to that, she had been a postdoctoral researcher at the Chair for the Study of Religious Pluralism and the Center for International Studies at the Université de Montréal. Apart from research activities, she also took part in multiple election observation missions with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Ukraine.egional power balance as it transitions away from Soviet government systems and responds to the rise of Chinese financial power alongside the continuing presence of Russian military might. This book demonstrates how Soviet structures in Tajikistan have been transformed into state structures, and how national identities are formed. Helene Thibault focuses on the differences between secular nationhood in Tajikistan, and an increasingly popular and influential 'born-again' Muslim identity. Featuring extensive and original primary-source material, including 12 months of ethnographic fieldwork, Thibault demonstrates the profound and lasting influence of Soviet power structures and attitudes, and how secular and religious identities clash when building a new state in the region. Tajikistan is a key state in Central Asia, and will become crucial to the regional power balance as it transitions away from Soviet government systems and responds to the rise of Chinese financial power alongside the continuing presence of Russian military might. Tajikistan is a key state in Central Asia, and will become crucial to the regional power balance as it transitions away from Soviet government systems and responds to the rise of Chinese financial power alongside the continuing presence of Russian military might. This book demonstrates how Soviet structures in Tajikistan have been transformed into state structures, and how national identities are formed. Helene Thibault focuses on the differences between secular nationhood in Tajikistan, and an increasingly popular and influential born-again Muslim identity. Featuring extensive and original primary-source material, including 12 months of ethnographic fieldwork, Thibault demonstrates the profound and lasting influence of Soviet power structures and attitudes, and how secular and religious identities clash when building a new state in the region "Tajikistan is a key state in Central Asia, and will become crucial to the regional power balance as it transitions away from Soviet government systems and responds to the rise of Chinese financial power alongside the continuing presence of Russian military might. This book demonstrates how Soviet structures in Tajikistan have been transformed into state structures, and how national identities are formed. Helene Thibault focuses on the differences between secular nationhood in Tajikistan, and an increasingly popular and influential 'born-again' Muslim identity. Featuring extensive and original primary-source material, including 12 months of ethnographic fieldwork, Thibault demonstrates the profound and lasting influence of Soviet power structures and attitudes, and how secular and religious identities clash when building a new state in the region"-- Publisher's website.