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Farideh Heyat – Post-Soviet Women in Transition: Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in Comparison
7 October, 2016 @ 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
There are many common paradoxes and anomalies regarding the position of women in the formerly Soviet Muslim republics of Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. These arise from the Soviet legacy of gender equality on the one hand, and patriarchal traditions on the other. The resurgence of Islam as an identity marker in the new independent era is another. However, there are also significant differences. Whereas radical Islam has established a foothold in southern Kyrgyzstan, the governments of both Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan have taken robust actions to stamp it out. There are also marked differences between Azerbaijan and the other two republics.
Farideh Heyat is an anthropologist based in London, born in Iran. She is the author of numerous articles on women in Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan and the book, Azeri Women in Transition. Her current book, Land of Forty Tribes is based on her observations and experience of working and travelling in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and her research on the history of Central Asia.
