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Constructing Post-Soviet Identities. an Analysis of Representations of Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgyz Cinema

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Constructing Post-Soviet Identities. an Analysis of Representations of Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgyz Cinema Constructing post-soviet identities. An analysis of Representations of bride kidnapping in Kyrgyz cinema. Sandra Mack Central Asia has experienced two major transformations of society in the 20 th century. Firstly, the establishment of Soviet rule was accompanied by an attack against the traditional Muslim and (semi)- nomadic society. Secondly, with the collapse of the Soviet Union the key ideologies on the liberation of the Soviet women and nations have been ‘dissolved’ overnight. Indeed, the Post-Soviet struggle for identities is most evident in two areas, which had been a main target of Soviet ideologies: gender and ethnicity. The paper examines how contemporary Kyrgyz cinema supports and encourages images of bride kidnapping as an act of producing both ethnic and gender identities that fill the gap left by the sudden break-up of the Soviet Union. This analysis of local popular media reveals the discrepancies between local discourses of tradition and the official government policy attempting to present Kyrgyzstan as a modern democracy. Even though bride kidnappings are prohibited by law and have been throughout the Soviet and Post- Soviet period, the practice is still rampant and today even more popular than during the Soviet period (Kleinbach et. al. 2005). Research has shown that this strong and sudden increase is a marker of cultural change of the Post-Soviet Era (Borbieva 2012). Besides dominating reconfigurations of gender roles in Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan, the impact of gendered constructions of national identity should not be underestimated (Handrahan 2004, Yuval-Davis 1993). Both gender and national identities are continuously re-visited and re-invented through the repetition of acts, practices and habits, a big part of which takes place through mass media (Bhaba 1990; Butler 1997; Parker 1992). Film is one such medium, through which the changes and discontinuities since the break-up of the Soviet Union can be mediated and addressed. The analysis of cinematic representation of bride kidnapping will be based on the Kyrgyz feature film Boz Salkyn (2007) by Ėrnest Abdy žaparov, one of the most popular directors of contemporary Kyrgyz cinema. This film is part of a larger body of recent Kyrgyz film productions dealing with the search for Kyrgyz identity by contrasting rural traditions and modern urban lifestyle (e.g. Svet-Ake 2010; Saratan 2005). It is, however, the only Kyrgyz production featuring the practice of bride kidnapping as its main topic. The film was produced by the independent Kyrgyz company Oy-Art in association with Aldongar Productions as well as with the financial support of western film funds. Following some opening remarks on the production and reception of Boz Salkyn in Kyrgyzstan and abroad, the film analysis will focus on the development and transformation of the female protagonist Asema through the kidnapping. Key scenes are examined both on the iconographic and narrative level (Korte 2010; Lotman 1977). On the iconographic level the composition and montage of frames clearly situate the narrative in a Kyrgyz setting through the depiction of landscape and people. This “mapping” of identities is repeated on the narrative level, where the viewer follows the protagonist’s development away from living the life of a modern woman in the city to the traditional rural lifestyle of peasants. The film only subtly criticizes the practice through elements of parody and comedy. The dominant reading, however, presents Asema at peace with herself only after she accepted her forced marriage to a stranger. 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