Transformations of gender roles and practices in a transnational migration context

Over coffee and cake, sociologist and anthropologist Rustam Samadov gave a talk on “Masculinities of Tajik labor migrants: Transformations of gender roles and practices in a transnational migration context”. He presented the extensive field research he conducted in Russia and Tajikistan as part of his PhD project. At its core, it examines the masculinity of Tajik men and looks at the ways in which migrant and non-migrant men maintain their gender identities and adapt their gender practices in the context of transnational labor migration from Tajikistan to Russia. In the state of transnational in-between, Tajik non-migrant men, and often their wives, must adapt to the gender norms of both the Russian and Tajik gender orders, although the two orders have very different and sometimes contradictory gender requirements. While his research focuses on migrant men, it also sheds light on the role of women in maintaining the male image of their partners and the ways in which Russian women adapt their gender practices in response to the demands of Tajik society. Rustam’s findings and insights were discussed extensively by the Fellows, both in terms of content and methodology.