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2015 The ncrI ease on Nonconsensual Bride in Amna Nawaz Virginia Commonwealth University

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This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted for inclusion in Undergraduate Research Posters by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Increase of Nonconsensual Bride

Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan Amna Nawaz Mentor: Dr. Prichard, VCU Honors

The maintained complete control over all of its Kyrgyzstan is a multination state due to its location and history of satellite countries during the height of its power. Kyrgyzstan, a nomadic conquering. The various backgrounds corrode any sense of satellite country, lost autonomy and when the Soviet Union identity and nationalism is difficult. Once the Soviet Union took over, collapsed, the struggled to create a sense of identity the Kyrgyz identity was further muddled as communist ideals took for themselves. root in the country. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the country of Kyrgyzstan has The Kyrgyz people identify bride kidnapping as an innately Kyrgyz had an unprecedented jump in bride kidnapping. The number of practice despite the lack of history in the so-called tradition, occurrences has skyrocketed and with that so has the severity of integrating it into the newly formed Kyrgyz identity. The instability of the violence. In this time women are taken, with no prior nationalism and identity has led to a rise in . Kyrgyz men indication of when or how, and forced to marry their kidnappers. find identity through aggression and masculinity, often overplayed at

Results the expense of women. is the Kyrgyz word for bride kidnapping, consensual or

Introduction Introduction non-consensual. It is believed by the Kyrgyz people to be a Kyrgyz hyper-masculinity was created by combining the aggression traditional mode of , often to avoid the price of marriage fostered by a lack of identity cultural facets of the Kyrgyz people that ceremonies. Historically, however, were consensual blur male children’s understanding of their gender identity. There was either by word of the parents or of the actual bride herself. already a precedent set under the Soviet Union of mock bride kidnapping; the practice quickly morphed into a terrifying crime.

Lack of Aggressive Soviet Autonomy and Nationalism and Hyper-masculine Bride Kidnapping Multiethnic Population Kyrgyz Identity Identity

Ayres, B. (1974). Bride theft and raiding for in cross-cultural perspective. Anthropological Quarterly, 47(3), 238-252. doi:10.2307/3316978 The belief that bride kidnapping is Kyrgyz tradition drives the Kyrgyz population to Borbieva, N. (2012). Kidnapping women: Discourses of emotion and social change in accept it into their identity. Several Institutions have made efforts towards reducing the kyrgyz republic. Anthropological Quarterly, 85, 141-169. doi:10.1353/anq .2012.0015 Handrahan, L. M. (2001). Gendering ethnicity in Kyrgyzstan: Forgotten elements in the rise in bride kidnapping through educating the general population. This method promoting peace and democracy. Gender and Development, 9(3), 70-78. Retrieved from http:// ww.jstor.org/ seems to have the greatest effect in reducing bride kidnapping however education has Handrahan, L. M. (2000). Implications of international law and bride not been sufficient in changing the people’s understandings of their history. kidnapping in kyrgyzstan. PRAXIS The Fletcher Journal of Development Studies, 16, 1-13. Retrieved from http://fletcher.tufts.edu/ Kleinbach, R., & Salimjanova, L. (2007). Kyz ala kachuu and adat : Non-consensual bride kidnapping and tradition in kyrgyzstan. Central Asian Survey, 26, 217-233. doi: Further research should be done on why the Kyrgyz people believe that bride 10.1080/02634930701517466 kidnapping is a tradition. With a deeper understanding of why they believe what they Kleinbach, R., & Babaiarova, G. (2013). Reducing non-consensual bride kidnapping

Citations Citations in kyrgyzstan. Eurasian Journal of Social Sciences, 1(1), 50-60. Retrieved from https:// do, we can then target those motivations as we try to eliminate bride kidnapping from eurasianpublications.com Conclusion Conclusion the society. Werner, C. (2009). Bride abduction in post‐: Marking a shift towards through local discourses of shame and tradition. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 15(2), 314-331. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9655.2009.01555.x