Diana T Kudaibergenova1; 1 University of Cambridge, UK
Discussion
This paper provides a genealogy of the coloniality of gendered order that was established since the Soviet inception and its powers in indigenous communities of Central Asia and then transformed into the dominant discourse of the post-Soviet regimes. The main argument laid out in the paper is that the gendered order and the monopolisation of female roles, appropriate behaviours, "representations" in the wider conceptual terms all stem to the hegemonic and colonial practices and locus of power. The paper traces the developments of the "emancipation" discourse down to the labour relations, gendered economies and gendered industries divisions during the Soviet period and the growing inequalities once the Soviet system and its economic infrastructure collapses. The second part of the paper analyses the continuity of these hegemonic gendered divisions and inequalities in the post-Soviet period and details how and why the post-Soviet regimes influenced the continuation of this coloniality, gendered hierarchies, persistent inequalities, and violence (both visual and hidden).
