MA, MPHIL and PhD projects

Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Vanlig tabell"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0mm 5.4pt 0mm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0mm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}

Sharifov, Mehmonsho, PhD. "Technologies of Creating “Dark Others” (Chakht) in Tajikistan: A study of Self-Other Relationships in the Pamir Mountain region"

Abstract: This extreme situation in the post-soviet society of Tajikistan, where political liberalization has not happened, where the economy is paralyzed and where cultural values, ideas and ideals are challenged, provide conditions for the appearance of technologies creating images of "Dark Others". In this context some groups  will begin to seek ‘the enemies of nation’. Whole institutions and intellectuals seek to preserve power by weaving ‘grand narratives’ like “great nation”, “unity (vahdat) is in danger”, “the nation-state is in danger” and others, trying ‘culturally motivate their violence’. The situation constitutes new norms of behavior in which the fear is becoming a dominant feature in relations between subjects and their government, between government and its subjects as well as between local government and superpowers of region. The core discourse of this project is “Chakht Discourse” which talks about Self and Other relations in the history of the Isma’ili community of Tajikistan. The word “Chakht“(literary meaning ‘curve’, ‘bended’ - something which is not right or straight) was developed by the Isma’ili Tajiks of Badakhshan as a way of describing their experience of Otherness. The Isma’ili community has a special history: from the beginning of their history they lived in a hostile environment and tried not to be enslaved by others.


Nejati, Fatemeh, MPHIL: “Women’s challenges and coping strategies in families in Tajikistan”

Abstract: This research project investigates the effects of international labor migration on women and families in Tajikistan. Taking into account the collapse of USSR in 1991, entering to the liberal market, high population growth, devastating civil war and violence have weakened the economy. Migration remained as the only solution to deal with unemployment and low paid jobs for Tajiks. The Republic of Tajikistan is ranked as first in the world among sending countries having the huge migration and the share of remittances (35%) of Gross domestic product (GDP) in 2009. Accordingly, women’s life defiantly could not be resistant to these huge labor migrations, and had been affected. Family structure is very important and strong in Tajik society. Traditionally, women are supposed to live with their families-in-law after marriage. Most of migrants are married men and their wives who are left behind face various problems. They have to cope with difficulties of life in extended families in the absence of their husbands. They suffer from workload in the household and raising children alone. It happens occasionally that migrants (men) never come back, re-marry in destination country, divorce their wives or stop sending remittances. Consequently, women have to deal with cultural, social, religious and economic constrains. In this research project I investigate how male work migration has affected the women’s life, in terms of the challenges they face and their main coping strategies. Selected areas of fieldwork include the capital of Tajikiatan Dushanbe, Hisor, Fazobod and Shahrino and some villages around Fazobod.

Meurmishvili, Giorgi, MPHIL: “Dagestanians (Hunzib) living in Georgia”

Abstract: The Kvareli region is situated in the Georgian borderlands towards Dagestan in the Caucasus and Georgian-Dagestan relations have a long history. For more than one century there have been Dagestani settlements in the Kvareli region, but this is a little known fact, also among scholars. There is a lack of knowledge about the history of Dagestanis in Georgia and their cultural, religious and social practices as well as their relationship to the Georgian population. The aim of this research project is to investigate everyday life among the Dagestanis in the Georgian region Kvareli, with special attention to Dagestanis, who have recently returned to their historical settlements in Georgia.