Community, the State and Development Assistance: Transforming the Mahalla in Tajikistan
Keywords:
civil society, local development, traditional institutions, international aid, local administrationSynopsis
For centuries, the mahalla as a quarter within cities and villages, regulated the life of sedentary communities maintaining relative autonomy at the grass-root level. During the Soviet period, the mahalla underwent transformation, nevertheless, its practices and traditions still shaped local relationships. The rapid changes after the collapse of the USSR also affected the mahalla, which has been included into the legislative framework of Tajikistan, and since 2008 has become the smallest administrative unit, partly losing its traditional functions. In the meantime, the mahalla have also become popular as an indigenous form of communal organisation among the Western aid agencies operating in the region.
The book Community, the State and Development Assistance: Transforming the Mahalla in Tajikistan by Anna Cieślewska, is a critical analysis of the various interactions between state administration, international organizations and the mahalla in the context of the social and economic changes in contemporary Tajikistan. The author provides examples from field research and development projects conducted between 2010 and 2014.
Chapters
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Abstract .......... IX
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Acknowledgements .......... XI
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List of Tables and Illustrations .......... XIII
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Acronyms .......... XV
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Glossary .......... XIX
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Introduction .......... 1
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Methodology and Stages of Data Collection .......... 9
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Notes on Transliteration .......... 14
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Chapter 1. Tajikistan: a Quick Overview of the Country’s Modern History and Development .......... 15
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Chapter 2. Traditional Social Networks and Groups, the Mahalla Community and its Institutions .......... 41
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Chapter 3. The Jamoat and the Mahalla – Legal Framework and Practical Dilemmas .......... 95
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Chapter 4. The Modern Concept of Civil Society and Traditional Institutions .......... 125
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Chapter 5. Village Organizations – the Concept of a New Mahalla .......... 151
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Chapter 6. The Kolkhoz, Selsovet, Mahalla and Jamoat Resource Centre on the Fringes of the State .......... 171
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Chapter 7. Working with Communities, the Experiences of the Polish Center for International Aid in the Khatlon Region .......... 189
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Concluding remarks .......... 211
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Bibliography .......... 217
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Index of Names .......... 229
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Index of Places .......... 233
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Index of Ethnographic Terms .......... 237
