Gender and the Frontier in the North Caucasus

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2022-2/128-140

Abstract

This article is written within the area of gender studies devoted to the gender space and gender boundaries, their impact on women's lives, and the role of women in society. The author turns to the study of these phenomena in the North Caucasus within the frontier theory. The study aims to identify the specificity and transformations of the gender issue through the prism of intra-social and external behavioral norms, the impact of borders on women's lives, and their position in society. The work is based on the empirical data collected by the author in four republics of the North Caucasus: Dagestan, Chechen Republic, Ingushetia, and Kabardino-Balkaria. The study showed the relevance of the gender division of space in a region where borders remain rigid, including the external ones. Society tends to maintain restrictions for women, shows indifference to their problems, and prefers not to intervene in the current situation. Moreover, new elements of “frontierism” and new social restrictions associated with rapid Islamization and traditional ways to interpret religion are developing. The most well-known organizations and activists in the region are those whose activities are related to the development of traditional culture and the protection of the language.