Migrant labors, glocalization and changes of gender in Central Asia

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H05983
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Cultural anthropology
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: KIKUTA Haruka 北海道大学, スラブ・ユーラシア研究センター, 助教 (30431349)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-08-28 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 中央アジア / ウズベキスタン / 移民 / ジェンダー / 社会変化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research analysed the way how gender had been changing in Muslim societies in Central Asia in the era of a massive wave of male labor migrants. It revealed that the traditional gender which tended to segregate young women inside home had become very hard to continue. This change is being caused by the rapid increase in exchange with foreign people, goods and information, and the spread of capitalism after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This change is no less significant than the change that occurred during the beginning of the Soviet era when the Soviet regime was desperately trying to change the lifestyles and worldviews of Muslim women.Many young women have smartphones to contact with their fathers or husbands now and they use them as a type of weapon to cope with the harsh lives of young Muslim women.

Free Research Field

文化人類学