Offering the reader an unflinching portrait of Daghestan and Chechnya-primarily its girls and women-this book presents the Caucasus through the eyes of a Polish woman who travelled there with her small child in the midst of a locally rooted but newly assertive Islamic revivalism. Shadowed by Russian secret police they, and later her husband, participate in Muslim rites in villages which penalise those caught smoking or drinking, even in their own homes; hang out with polygamous families; talk to activists whose stance on human rights or democracy has them on hit lists, and to young people about religion, polygamy, prostitution and sex. They also track down 'Wahhabis' (known locally as 'devils') who conceal their religious affiliations for fear of persecution. In Daghestan the authors encounter two Sufi religious leaders, both of whom were later murdered, and in Grozny activists who survived torture by betraying the innocent.They hang out with young women 'encouraged' by the Chechen regime to 'conduct themselves morally' for the good of the nation; accompany girls on dates; and find out from 18-year-old divorcees why it's better to share a bed with another wife than have no husband at all.

About the Author
Iwona Kaliszewska has been researching the North Caucasus since 2004. She teaches anthropology at the University of Warsaw. Maciej Falkowski is a political scientist and journalist based at the Centre for Eastern Studies in Warsaw.

Reviews
'The works of Bronislaw Malinowski and Ryszard Kapuscinski taught us that Polish travellers have a special place in the canon of ethnographic description. Here is another example of that distinguished tradition.' * Professor Georgi Derlugian, NYU, Abu Dhabi, author of Bourdieu's Secret Admirer in the Caucasus: A Biography in World-Systems Perspective *
'By offering moving scenes from everyday life across a region consumed by history, Kaliszewska and Falkowski remind us why the North Caucasus is so compelling.' * Professor Bruce Grant, NYU, author of The Captive and the Gift: Cultural Histories of Sovereignty in Russia and the Caucasus *
'This is a wonderful book. The North Caucasus republics of Chechnya and Daghestan have become a black hole in Europe, tainted by the word "terrorism." The authors, both scholars and inquisitive travelers, give us a vivid picture from the inside, with insights on everything from Islam to sex to Communism.' * Thomas de Waal, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace *



Book Information
ISBN 9781849045575
Author Iwona Kaliszewska
Format Hardback
Page Count 192
Imprint C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
Publisher C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
Weight(grams) 363g
Dimensions(mm) 225mm * 145mm * 20mm