‘Our Traditions Will Kill Us!’: Negotiating Marriage Celebrations in the Face of Legal Regulation of Tradition in Tajikistan

Abstract

Based on extensive ethnographic research in northern Tajikistan, this article examines the implications of the law ordering traditions and rituals (tanzim), including marriage celebrations, in Tajikistan. At the centre of my analysis is the figure of a state employed ‘worker of culture’, Farkhod, whose family was affected by recent, rather militant, attempts by the state to regulate tradition. By following the story of his daughter’s wedding, I analyse how Farkhod tries to reconcile his roles of a caring father, a respectful community member, and a law-abiding citizen. I argue that the tanzim exacerbates the mismatch between the government’s attempts to impose a rigid notion of tradition and promote the idea of a certain kind of modern citizen, and people’s own understandings of being a modern and moral person having a good wedding.

Marriage, Divorce and Mutual Indebtedness

“…The analytical difficulty of separating the two is reflected in the blurring that exists in their practices. Indeed, academic literature on the subject has highlighted the sometimes very high cost of this type of gift, potentially linked to entrapping clientelistic logics (Abashin 1999;Ismailbekova 2005 andRoche and Hohmann 2011;Borisova 2020), first in a context of state disintegration following the collapse of the USSR (see Humphrey 2002; Werner 1997), and then in one in which the increase in income from migration seems to have contributed to an even higher demand for spending (Trevisani 2016). Judith Beyer, in her work on Kyrgyzstan, has described the anxiety of failing in one's duties, especially counter-transfers, and of being punished for it, as shame-anxiety: individuals act preventively out of fear of what 'one' might say about them (Beyer 2016).…”

“…(Kasymova 2007). Moreover, national regulations have been at play: supposedly concerned with avoiding the risks of over-indebtedness and the growing financial insecurity of families, the Tajikistani authorities have adopted regulations (in 2007 and 2017) aimed at reducing the volume of ceremonial expenses, through a tight control of the celebration formats (Jumhurii Tojikiston (Republic of Tajikistan) 2007; Roche, Hohmann 2011;Borisova 2020).…”

Ritual Economy, or How Much Is Spent on A Wedding in Central Asia

“…Способность закона регулировать те сферы жизни общества, которые традиционно регулируются ритуалами и обычаями, вызывает исследовательский интерес. В частности, исследование, проведенное в северном Таджикистане, фокусировало внимание на поведении госслужащих, которые пытались найти компромисс между лояльностью закону и поддержанием репутации внутри сообщества (Borisova, 2020). На примере свадеб в Таджикистане виден конфликт интерпретации «правильного гражданина» в понимании государства и «уважаемого человека» в понимании сообщества.…”

Bank loans vs debt within social networks: The case of Central Asia

“…Попытки государства лимитировать ритуальные траты ставят в сложное положение граждан, которые пытаются найти компромисс между лояльностью закону и поддержанием репутации внутри сообщества. На примере свадеб в Таджикистане виден конфликт интерпретации «правильного гражданина» в понимании государства и «уважаемого человека» в понимании сообщества (Borisova, 2021).…”