Reconstruction of Pre-Modern Traditions in Kyrgyzstan: Legal Pluralism and Women

2021-12-7
Yavuz Aktaş, İdil
This study examines the reinvention of ancient traditions of Kyrgyz people in terms of aksakal courts which are aspects of legal pluralism in Kyrgyzstan and women’s position with respect to aksakal courts’ judgments. From a historical perspective, this thesis aims to analyze how the pre-Soviet identities and traditions mutated, adapted and survived until today, forming modern state institutions and social practices. In this study, it is argued that the current pluralist legal system brought with the establishment of aksakal courts, which were designed to serve as an alternative judicial authority to state courts, is an outcome of the decentralization of state authority and nation building efforts that emphasized the traditions as a unifying tool. It is asserted that the reviving and evolving of traditions were also embraced by the society and a rare form of marriage practiced in the past was reinvented in the form of nonconsensual bride kidnapping. Within this context, this study attempts to find out the effects and outcomes of the reconstructed traditions of aksakal courts and bride kidnapping practices. These two aspects of reconstructed traditions are discussed in conjunction with each other and analyzed within the scope of women’s rights.

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Citation Formats
İ. Yavuz Aktaş, “Reconstruction of Pre-Modern Traditions in Kyrgyzstan: Legal Pluralism and Women,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2021.