Rethinking Corruption in Post-Soviet Uzbekistan: Ethnography of “Living Law”

摘要

1‐av illage located in rural Ferghana in Uzbekistan, we attended anikoh toi(wedding ceremony) arranged by a local farmer. Thenikoh toistarts at five o’clock in the morning withnahor oshi(a morning pilaf 2 feast) at the groom’s house. Joyful sounds ofkarnayandsurnay(traditional Uzbek musical instruments) can be heard from far away and signal to the wholemahalla (local community) that the wedding ceremony has begun. On th et hreshold of the house, the head of the family himself greets each gueston arrival with a handshake or embrace, after which the guests are politely offered seats at the guest tables. Each guest givestoyana(gifts such as carpets or cash) while shaking hands with the head of the family. The singer entertains the party with Uzbek classical songs while the guests enjoy what is spread before them: bread, different candies, fruits, nuts, platters ofpilaf ,p ots of tea, locally produced beverages, and a bottle of vodka. Guests leave the tables as soon as they have finished theirpilaf ,a nd the tables are hurriedly cleaned up to welcome new arrivals. We sit at a nicely decorated table with theoqsoqol(informal leader of themahalla )a ndmahallaresidents, eating pilafand talking about the role and importance of weddings in the lives of Uzbeks. Spontaneously, theoqsoqolbegins to tell an anecdote related to weddings: “There is an anecdote widely circulated in Uzbek society. Three men ‐ an American, a Japanese, and an Uzbek ‐ meet in a restaurantfor dinner .A fter some drinks, they all start boasting about their countries and cultures.The American says arrogantly that life in the United States is very good; every month, he earns $10,000 and can buy a new car each month.The Japanese man laughssarcastically and says that the United States is nothing compared to Japan’s hi-tec hs ociety where robots 1 The name of the village has been changed to protect the anonymity of informants. 2 Pilaf is a festive Uzbek rice.