Tandem politics and kusturizatsia: Power and money in contemporary Kyrgyzstan

IF 1.5 Q2 ANTHROPOLOGY

Anthropology Today Pub Date : 2024-12-03 DOI:10.1111/1467-8322.12926

Aksana Ismailbekova

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Drawing on fresh ethnographic research, this article examines how President Japarov and Security Chief Tashiev built their political alliance in post-2020 Kyrgyzstan. Their ‘tandem’ rule rests on a mix of friendship ties, family bonds and economic control through kusturizatsia – legalized extortion of criminal networks and corrupt officials. Using Sahlins’ concept of reciprocity, I show how money flows form the heart of their power, binding allies through gifts while crushing opponents through force. The tandem's fusion of state authority with criminal enterprise reveals new patterns of authoritarian rule in post-Soviet space.

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来源期刊

Anthropology Today ANTHROPOLOGY-

CiteScore

2.30

自引率

7.70%

发文量

期刊介绍： Anthropology Today is a bimonthly publication which aims to provide a forum for the application of anthropological analysis to public and topical issues, while reflecting the breadth of interests within the discipline of anthropology. It is also committed to promoting debate at the interface between anthropology and areas of applied knowledge such as education, medicine, development etc. as well as that between anthropology and other academic disciplines. Anthropology Today encourages submissions on a wide range of topics, consistent with these aims. Anthropology Today is an international journal both in the scope of issues it covers and in the sources it draws from.