Society and Culture in Central Eurasia - JMMZ214

• Title: Society and Culture in Central Eurasia
• Guaranteed by: Department of Russian and East European Studies (23-KRVS)
• Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences
• Actual: from 2020
• Semester: summer
• E-Credits: 6
• Examination process: summer s.:combined
• Hours per week, examination: summer s.:1/1, Ex [HT]
• Capacity: unknown / unknown (4)
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: not taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment; priority enrollment if the course is part of the study plan
• Guarantor: doc. Adrian Brisku, Ph.D.
• Incompatibility : JMMZ178

Annotation

Last update: doc. Adrian Brisku, Ph.D. (10.12.2020)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course aims to familiarize the students to often neglected issues of Central Eurasian societies and their cultures. The collapse of the Soviet communist ideology and its secular and modernising imperatives, and the processes of opening up to new opportunities or returning to repressed identities, customs and values, have changed the cultural and societal landscape of this region. Making sense of some of the key aspects these cultural and societal legacies and changes is key for understanding local politics and cultural behaviours.

Aim of the course

Last update: doc. Adrian Brisku, Ph.D. (10.12.2020)

The aim of the course is to familiarize students with some key societal and cultural issues emerging in post-Soviet Central Eurasian societies (referring to North Caucasus republics and South Caucasus and Central Asian states) and equip them with critical understandings and the conceptual frameworks of how past and present cultural and societal legacies are mirrored in the political and cultural behaviours of these societies.

Descriptors

Last update: doc. Adrian Brisku, Ph.D. (10.12.2020)

A.  COURSE DESIGN

1.     Introductory Seminar

2.     Caucasus Identities

3.     Gender and Society in the Caucasus

4.     Religion and Society in the Caucasus

5.     “Adat” of Mountainous Caucasus (the Cases of Pankisi and Tusheti)

6.     Central Asian Identities

7.     Family and Kinship in Central Asia Societies

8.     Gender, Marriages and Inter-gender Relation in Central Asian Societies

9.     Religion and Society in Central Asia

10.  Migration and its Impact on Central Asian Societies

11.  Corruption within Central Eurasian Societies

12.  Communication and Mass Media in Central Asian Societies

Course completion requirements

Last update: doc. Adrian Brisku, Ph.D. (10.12.2020)

A.   COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1)     Attendance is mandatory as the course is designed as a seminar where substantial student participation is needed. Given the circumstances with COVID-19, the course might take place on-line via zoom.

2)     One in-class presentation related to course topics. 

3)     A final oral interview based on course topics.

4)     Active class participation – 20% position papers – 40% and final oral interview – 40%.  

 

B.   COURSE EVALUATION

A - "výborně - A" - "excellent - A"
B - "výborně - B" - "excellent - B"
C - "velmi dobře - C" - "very good - C"
D - "velmi dobře - D" - "very good - D"
E - "dobře - E" - "good - E"
F - "neprospěl/a - F" - "fail - F"

 

 

Literature

Last update: doc. Adrian Brisku, Ph.D. (10.12.2020)

READING ASSIGNMENTS

 

1. Introductory Seminar

·      Syllabus of the course

 

2. Caucasus Identities

·      Coene, Fredrik, The Caucasus: An introduction, New York: Routledge, 2009, chapters 3 and 4 (SIS)

 

3. Gender and Society in the Caucasus 

·      Tskhadadze, Tamar, “The West and Georgian ‘Difference’: Discursive Politics of Gender and Sexuality” in Maia Barkaia & Alisse Waterson (eds), Gender in Georgia: Feminist Perspectives on Culture, Nation and History in the South Caucasus(New York & Oxford: Berghahn Books, 2018),pp. 47-60.

·      Garenne, Michele, Hohmann, Sophie, “Gender Saturation in the Southern Caucasus: Family Composition and Sex-selective Abortion”, Journal of Biosocial Science, 2014, pp. 1-11. 

·      Sabedashvili, Tamar, Gender and Politics in the South Caucasus, Caucasus Analytical Digest, No. 21, 30, November 2010 

·      Kamm, Elke, Women and honour in the Republic of Georgia About bride kidnapping and ‘revirginisation,’ a research note.

 

4. Family and Kinship in the North Caucasus 

·      Aslan, Emil, An Endless War: The Russian-Chechen Conflict in Perspective, 2007, chapter 1

·      Sokirianskaia, Ekaterina, "Families and clans in Ingushetia and Chechnya. A fieldwork report, " Central Asian Survey 24, no. 4 (2005): 453-467, (Taylor & Francis Database).

 

5.Central Asian Identities 

·      Roy, Olivier: The New Central Asia. The Creation of Nations. New York: New York University Press, 2005, p. 1-25 (Introduction) Jinonice library

·      The Transformation of Central Asia. States and Societies from Soviet Rule to Independence. Edited by Pauline Jones Luong. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 2004, p. 1-26 (Introduction). Jinonice library

·      Esenova, S.: Soviet Nationality, Identity, and Ethnicity in Central Asia: Historic Narratives and Kazakh Ethnic Identity, Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, Vol. 22, Issue 1, 2002, p. 11-38 (Taylor&Francis database).

 

6. Family and kinship in Central Asia society

·      Schatz, Edward, “Reconceptualizing Clans: Kinship Networks and Statehood in Kazakhstan”, Nationalities Papers33 (2), 2005, pp. 231-254 

·      Roche, Sophie, “A Sound Family for a Healthy Nation: Motherhood in Tajik National Politics and Society”, Nationalities Papers44(2), 2016, pp. 207-224.

 

7. Gender, marriages and inter-gender relation in Central Asian society 

·      Kudaibergenova, Diana, “Between the State and the Artists…”, Nationalities Papers44(2), pp. 225-246

·      Cleuziou, Juliette, Direnberger, Lucia, “Gender and Nation in post-Soviet Central Asia…”, Nationalities Papers44(2), pp. 195-206.

·      Colette, Harris: Seductive consumption. The influence of pornography on marital sexual demands in Tajikistan. In: Chic, chèque, choc. Transactions autour des corps et stratégies amoureuses contemporaires. Edited by Françoise Grange Omokaro and Fenneke Reysoo. Berne - Geneve: DDC-Commission suisse pour l’UNESCO - IHEID, 2007.

·      Kamp, Marianne: Gender Ideals and Income Realities: Discourses about Labor and Gender in Uzbekistan. Nationalities Papers33(3) (September 2005), p. 403-422 (EBSCO)

 

 

8. Religion and society in Central Asia

·      Biard, Aurelie, “The Religious Factor in the Reification of ‘Neo-Ethnic’ Identities”, Nationalities Papers38(3), 2010, pp. 323-335.

·      Omelicheva, Maryia, “Islam and Power Legitimation: Instrumentalization of Religion in Central Asian States”, Contemporary Politics22(2), 2016, pp. 143-163  

 

9. Migration and its impact on Central Asian societies

·      Malyuchenko, Irina. Labour Migration from Central Asia to Russia: Economic and Social Impact on the Societies of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Central Asian Security Policy Brief, OSCE Academy, Bishkek, February 2015. 

·      Peyrouse, Sebastien, Russian Minority in Central Asia: Migration, Politics, and Language. Kennan Institute occasional paper, 2008.

·      Abashin, Sergei, “Migration from Central Asia to Russia in the New Model of World Order”, Russian Politics and Law52(6), 2014, pp. 8-26.

10. Corruption within Central Eurasian Societies

·      Cooley, Alexander, Sharman, J. C., “Blurring the Line between Licit and Illicit: Transnational Corruption Networks in Central Asia and Beyond”, Central Asian Survey34(1), 2015, pp. 11-28. 

·      Borzel, Tanja A, Pamuk, Yasemin, “Pathologies of Europeanisation: Fighting Corruption in the Southern Caucasus”, West European Politics35, 2012, pp. 79-97.

·      Holland, Edward, “Economic Development and Subsidies in the North Caucasus”, Problems of Post-Communism63(1), 2016, pp. 50-61 

11. Religion and Society in the Caucasus

·      Filetti, Andrea, “Religiosity in the South of the Caucasus: Searching for an Underlying Logic of Religion’s Impact on Political Attitudes”, Southeast European and Black Sea Studies14(2), 2014, pp. 219-238

·      Bram, Chen, Grammer, Moshe, “Radical Islamism, Traditional Islam and Ethno-nationalism in Northern Caucasus”, Middle Eastern Studies49(2), 2012, pp. 296-337. 

·      Matsuzato, Kimikata, Danielyian, Stepan, “Faith or Tradition: The Armenian Apostolic Church and Community-building in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh”,Religion, State and Society41(1), 2013, pp. 18-34.   

 

12. The Culture of Retaliation in the Caucasus

·      Ratelle, Jean-Francois - Aslan, Emil A., "Retaliation in Rebellion: The Missing Link to Explaining Insurgent Violence in Dagestan," Terrorism and Political Violence, upcoming in 2015,

Teaching methods

Last update: doc. Adrian Brisku, Ph.D. (10.12.2020)

Applying a student-centred method, this course’s format is seminar-based which means that students’ participation in class – discussing readings’ main arguments, approaches and gaps in the literature – is essential.