Iconic Places in Central Asia: The Moral Geography of Dams, Pastures and Holy Sites

353 Pages·2016·5.728 MB·English

by  Jeanne Féaux de la Croix

Jeanne Féaux de la Croix
Iconic Places in Central Asia

Culture and Social Practice
Jeanne Féaux de la Croix (PhD) is a social anthropologist based at Tübingen
University.ShedirectsseveralprojectsontheenvironmentinCentralAsiaand
also works on questions of Ageing, Labour and Development.
Jeanne Féaux de la Croix
Iconic Places in Central Asia
The Moral Geography of Dams, Pastures and Holy Sites
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The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Natio-
nalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet at
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Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedorreproducedoruti-
lizedinanyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical,orothermeans,nowknown
orhereafterinvented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orinanyinform-
ation storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publisher.
Cover layout: Kordula Röckenhaus, Bielefeld
Cover illustration: All images are author’s own copyright,
Jeanne Féaux de la Croix 2016.
Printed in Germany
Print-ISBN 978-3-8376-3630-7
PDF-ISBN 978-3-8394-3630-1
TO MICHAEL

Inhalt
Acknowledgments | 9
|11
(cid:1)(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:5)(cid:7)(cid:5)(cid:8)
: Summary in Kyrgyz | 14
(cid:9)(cid:10)(cid:10)(cid:11)(cid:12)(cid:3)(cid:13)(cid:14)(cid:15)
Note on Transliteration | 17
Chapter 1: Introduction | 20

PART I: INTERACTIONS IN THREE SIGNIFICANT PLACES

Chapter 2: Knowing and Living Pastures | 51
Chapter 3: Damming the Naryn River | 85
Chapter 4: Visiting Mazars | 111

PART II: TIMING PLACES

Chapter 5: Coping with Continuity:
Between Epics and Life Stories | 145
Chapter 6: Commemorating Change:
Between Collectivisation and Privatisation | 171

PART III: WORKING AND ENJOYING PLACES

Chapter 7: What is Work and Why Do It? | 213
Chapter 8: Celebrating Places: Picnics, Poetry and Song | 251
Chapter 9: Conclusion | 291

Glossary | 307
Bibliography | 313
Index | 347

Acknowledgments

A great many people helped me live and write this ethnography, truly too many
to name them all. I am grateful to the Carnegie Trust and University of St.
Andrews for providing the generous scholarships which made this project
possible. My supervisors Stephanie Bunn and Roy Dilley never failed to be my
staunchest supporters and harshest critics. I am profoundly grateful to both for
sharing their knowledge and time so generously. I also benefitted from generous
work conditions at Zentrum Moderner Orient (Berlin) and the University of
Tübingen.
I owe more than I can say to my family. Warm thanks to Pamela and Bridget
for their active support. I am ever grateful to my partner Michael for his trust and
patience with my absences, as well as his competent graphic skills.
I was very fortunate in the welcome and enthusiasm for my project I found
with Akylbek Rakaev and his family: Kasymbai Ata, Jailookhan Apa, Taalaibek,
Nazgul and Aizada Eje. Your support throughout my fieldwork was invaluable. I
found a warm second home in the house of Kamchybek and Jaikal, and also with
Osmonbek Ata and Aliman Apa, their children and grand-children, especially
Aizada. I am profoundly grateful to you for sharing your lives so generously
with me. I thank Aidai Eje and all the teachers of Bel Aldy school for welcoming
me to their kolektif: I very much enjoyed teaching alongside you. My thanks also
to Gulmairam, Asmatjan, Nurgul, Aijamal and their families for their precious
friendship. I am very grateful to Oshbai Ake for looking after, and teaching me
to look after my horse. I thank all the people of Bel Aldy and the Toktogul
district: I will never forget your generous hospitality, unstinting help and
tolerance. I learnt so much from you all.
My thanks to the many colleagues who influenced my thinking. Tolkunbek
Asikulov gave me my first home in Bishkek and helped me with countless
everyday questions. I am also grateful to him and his geographer colleagues
Matthias Schmidt and Bernd Steimann for the discussions which helped me