Gender history and Islam

What is it about?

The goal of this paper is to study the legal status of Turkestan’s Muslim women before, during, and after the transition to Russian Imperial rule. In particular, it will analyze changes to the rights of women in the divorce process and in widowhood over this period. Through examination of various cases concerning family practices among sedentary and nomadic people over time, the author argues that Muslim women retained financial and other rights in divorce proceedings typical of the pre-Imperial period, and extending into the period of Imperial rule. This article further argues that Muslim women had the continuing right to demand a divorce if their husbands would not comply with the terms of their marriage contracts. Also, Muslim women could claim financial support from their husbands after divorce in the period of the Russian empire as in the period of the Central Asian khanates.

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Why is it important?

This paper gives conclusions on womens' right by exploring divorce process in Central Asia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Our findings show that women in colonial Central Asia appealed to the traditional courts and colonial state institutions in the same time.