| Women, Islam, and Identity: Public Life in Private Spaces in Uzbekistan Subjects: Muslim women -- Uzbekistan -- Social conditions; Women’s rights -- Uzbekistan; Social change -- Religious aspects -- Islam; Women -- Identity; This pioneering ethnographic work centers on the dynamics of female authority within the religious life of a conservative Muslim community in the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan. Peshkova draws upon several years of field research to chronicle the daily lives of women religious leaders, known as otinchalar, and the ways in which they exert a powerful influence in the religious life of the community. In this gender-segregated society, the Muslim women leaders have staked out a vibrant space in which they counsel and assist the women in their specific religious needs. Peshkova finds that otinchalar's religious leadership filters into other areas of society, producing social changes beyond the ritual realm and challenging stereotypical definitions of what it means to be a Muslim woman. Svetlana Peshkova is assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of New Hampshire. Her research interests focus on gender dynamics, Muslim women leaders, and transnational Islamic movements. |