Domesticating Youth

Sophie Roche studied Central Asian Studies and Social Anthropology in Berlin and did long-term fieldwork in Tajikistan while at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle, Germany, between 2005 and 2010. She has conducted research on the impact of conflicts on individual biographies and on demographic change. Her most recent work focuses on Islam and has resulted in the innovative edited volume, Central Asian Intellectuals on Islam (ZMO Studien 2013).

• List of Maps, Figures and Tables Foreword: The Construction of Life Phases and Some Facts of Life Gunther Schlee Acknowledgements Notes on Transliteration and Usage Introduction: Youth (Bulge) and Conflict Chapter 1. Placing the Field Sites in Their Context - A Demographic History Chapter 2. 'Why didn't you take a side?' - The Emergence of Youth Categories, Institutions and Groups Chapter 3. 'Siblings are as different as the five fingers of a hand' - Developmental Cycle of Domestic Groups and Siblingship Chapter 4. 'The Gift of Youth' - Workers, Religious Actors and Migrants Chapter 5. 'The only Thing in Life that Makes you Feel like a King' - Marriage as an Indicator of Social and Demographic Changes Chapter 6. 'Youth are our Future' - The State's Youth Categories Challenged by Youth Conclusion: The Dynamics of Youth Bulge as a Question of Domestication Appendix Glossary of Selected Terms Bibliography

"This is an outstanding study of the 'youth bulge' in a remote country of Central Asia - Through her extensive field work, the author acquired a deep personal knowledge of the peculiarity of the country and its culture, for which little is available in the academic literature - This work is important not only for understanding the dynamics of the youth bulge in Tajikistan, but also to better grasp the rationale and multiple dimensions of youth movements in other developing countries of the same geographical area, and in particular the so-called "Arab Spring" revolutions." Michel Garenne, Institut Pasteur, Paris "This is an interesting and well organized study that deals with a central subject - youth - concerning Tadjik society, but also Muslim societies more generally. The different chapters cover well the multiple aspects of the dynamics of youth bulge (history, economy, migration, social and cultural organization, political events, war). Most important, the book is clearly written and very readable also for a non-specialist." Yazid Ben Hounet, CNRS, Paris "The focus of this study on youth in relation to civil war and conflict makes this a very important contribution to Central Asia studies, and to anthropology more generally. The manuscript contains a wealth of ethnographic material, including some very interesting accounts of former fighters in the civil war." Johan Rasanayagam, University of Aberdeen