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Nothing to Lose but Their Veils Failure and ‘Success’ of the Hujum in Uzbekistan, 1927-1953

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Nothing to Lose but Their Veils Failure and ‘Success’ of the Hujum in Uzbekistan, 1927-1953 Nothing to Lose but Their Veils Failure and ‘Success’ of the Hujum in Uzbekistan, 1927-1953 Word count: 25,896 Maarten Voets Student number: 01205641 Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Rozita Dimova, Prof. Dr. Bruno De Cordier A dissertation submitted to Ghent University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in East European Languages and Cultures. Academic year: 2016 – 2017 August, 2017 2 Abstract The title of this work is a reference to Marx’ famous quote, ‘The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains.’ When the proletariat eventually took over control of the former Russian Empire after the October Revolution and the subsequent Russian civil war (1917 – 1923), they had to spread the revolution to the periphery; Central Asia. To gain support in Uzbekistan from the local (female) population the Communist Party commenced the Hujum campaign on the 8th of March 1927. This campaign targeted traditions that they considered derogatory to women, in particular the wearing of the local veil, or ‘paranja’. The campaign was a complete failure due to vehement Uzbek resistance. Yet, nowadays the paranja is little more than a museum piece. The veil disappeared from the street view from the 1950’s onwards. In my research I want to give an explanation for this delayed success. Yet, in a way the Hujum still carries on: both Central Asian and Western countries have a mixed stance on the modern variants of the paranja, as shown in the existence of burqa bans. I have analysed relevant events (such as Stalin’s purges, deportations, the battle against the Basmachi) from before, during, and after the initial Hujum and placed them inside a Gramscian framework to explain their effects on the civil and political society in Uzbekistan. This has led to the conclusion that the defining event in the eventual success of the Hujum was the Second World War. Due to the surge of refugees on the one side and the conscription of the male population on the other, Uzbekistan and its population adapted to a more Soviet way of life. 3 Preface I have had my first opportunity to explore my interest in Central Asia in the courses Sociology and History of the Slavic Languages by Professor Stern. During my investigation on the status of the Russian language in the former Soviet republics I encountered the film White Desert’s Sun (Beloe Solnce Pustyni, 1970). I was fascinated by the many aspects and themes of the film (Orientalism, the Basmachi, harams, paranjas …), most of which have been thoroughly analysed in this dissertation. Eventually I focused on the paranja, and the subsequent Soviet campaign to remove this garb from everyday life. I was a bit at a loss whom to turn to with this subject. Thankfully, Professor Dr. Rozita Dimova was willing to help me. In our first conversation she warned me she knew nothing about the subject in particular. Paradoxically, this worked immensely to my advantage. (As an anthropologist) she offered me perspectives from different social sciences, suggested connections between facts I had not yet considered, and urged me to write and explain everything as clear as possible. Additionally, she sent me dozens of articles on the subject, most of which have been put to a good use. It was both an honour and a pleasure to work with her, and I sincerely hope this dissertation will meet her expectations. Additionally, she advised me to seek aid from Professor Dr. Bruno De Cordier. His enthusiasm and passion for Central Asia is very contagious, and it has motivated me to see this thesis through. In the end I’d also like to thank my mom, who has made it possible for me to pursue my passion for the Russian language and culture. Maarten Voets, 4th of August 2017 4 Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Contents ...................................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 7 The Hujum .............................................................................................................................. 7 The current ‘Hujum’ ............................................................................................................... 7 Traumas .................................................................................................................................. 9 Outline .................................................................................................................................. 10 Sources and Authorities ........................................................................................................ 10 Spelling ................................................................................................................................. 12 1. History .................................................................................................................................. 13 1.1 Conquest of Turkestan .................................................................................................... 13 1.2 Distinct Territories and Everyday Control ..................................................................... 14 1.3 Modernity, War, and Resistance ..................................................................................... 16 1.4 The Rise of the Basmachi ............................................................................................... 18 1.5 National Delimitation: Limits and Advantages .............................................................. 19 2. Inducement and Background of the Hujum ......................................................................... 22 2.1 Ideological Reasons for the Hujum: Orientalism and Marxism ..................................... 23 2.2 Practical Reasons for the Hujum: Indigenous Support ................................................... 28 3. Uzbek Responses to the Hujum ........................................................................................... 32 3.1 Creating the Uzbek identity: Uzbek Equals Paranja, Paranja Equals Uzbek ................. 32 3.2 Nation-Building Spectacle .............................................................................................. 34 3.3 The Paranja as a Fetish Object ....................................................................................... 35 3.4 The Threat of Emancipation ........................................................................................... 37 4. Hegemony, Uzbekistan, and the Hujum ............................................................................... 41 4.1 Situation in Turkestan and Uzbekistan ........................................................................... 41 4.2 Soviet Counterinsurgency ............................................................................................... 43 4.3 Purges ............................................................................................................................. 45 4.4 Byt Crimes ...................................................................................................................... 47 5 5. Control of the Civil Society ................................................................................................. 49 5.1 Demographics ................................................................................................................. 49 5.2 Soviet Tashkent .............................................................................................................. 53 5.3 Red Islam ........................................................................................................................ 54 6. The Great Patriotic War ....................................................................................................... 56 6.1 Uzbek Mobilisation ........................................................................................................ 56 6.2 The Home front .............................................................................................................. 58 6.3. After the war .................................................................................................................. 58 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 60 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................. 63 Appendix .................................................................................................................................. 76 6 Introduction The Hujum On the 8th of March 1927 the central Soviet government started the Hujum campaign in Uzbekistan. The Hujum aimed at eliminating traditional practices that were demeaning to women, such as the qalin (bride-price) and the veil (in this case the paranja). Other goals were increasing literacy and paid employment and abolishing the practices of child brides and polygamy (Levin 2008: 96). Hujum means ‘assault’ in Arabic, and this assault would eventually be primarily aimed at the paranja. It attempted to create a surrogate proletariat by liberating women from the patriarchal system. This campaign was nothing short of a complete transformation of society (Northrop 2004: 12). This undertaking would eventually fail
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