Islamic Revival in the Post-Soviet Space: Tatar Muslim Women's Identities in the Central Russian Republic of Tatarstan (Research Brief)

In this project, I explored the rise of Muslim religiosity among Tatar women in the central Russian Republic of Tatarstan. Focusing specifically on these women’s negotiation of ethnic and religious identities, I analyzed the relationship between ethnic and religious revival in Tatarstan and examined some reasons behind Tatar Muslim women’s choice of Islam as a way of life despite challenges it might present in a secular Russian state.

This research yielded over forty personal interviews with practicing Tatar women, interviews with public officials and experts, notes and recordings of public events and informal conversations, samples of popular Muslim literature, such as books and newspapers. My preliminary findings point to an increasing shift from predominantly ethno-linguistic components of Tatar identity to a religious (Muslim) one. For many Tatar women living in a society in transition, Islam becomes an empowering, unwavering force, an island of stability in the quickly changing world. As Tatars’ increasing interest in Islam is accompanied by an influx of information on alternative forms of Islam, Tatars are faced with navigating a Muslim identity that goes beyond their traditional Hanafi school.

Download the pdf at the top of this page for the full brief.

Liliya Karimova, of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst was a 2009-10 Individual Advanced Research Opportunities (IARO) fellow.