Papers by Zemfira Gogueva
Between Tradition and Fundamentalism: Muslim Women’s Rights in the North Caucasus, 2023
At present, a significant number of young people in the North Caucasus, especially in urban areas... more At present, a significant number of young people in the North Caucasus, especially in urban areas, turn to Islamic fundamentalism. This undermines the influence of the traditional framework, adat, which tends to be supported by the older generation, as well as by those in power. While mass media and the official state narrative paint Islamic fundamentalism as a terrorist movement, supported by a small, marginalised group, the reality on the ground is much more complex. The aim of this study is to develop a better understanding of the religious and social changes taking place in the North Caucasus at the present moment, with a special focus on the rights and status of local women. The conclusions and recommendations offered by the study are based on 25 interviews with young women from KarachayCherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria and Dagestan, conducted in summer 2021. The survey results indicate that women’s access to education and employment is often severely limited not only by social pressure and adat customs but also by internalised patriarchal ideas about gender roles. The other main finding of the study is that religious devotion often overcomes the adat’s influence in situations related to marriage and family life. Furthermore, North Caucasian women consciously choose fundamentalism as a way for self-improvement. As a result, women aspire to be active participants in the economic life of their republics, receive education and depend less on the traditional family hierarchy. From a theoretical perspective, the study uses the concept of Islamic feminism to articulate the possibility of fundamentalism as a conduit of women’s rights in the region.
Global Campus Human Rights Journal, 2021
This paper is intended to initiate an international discussion on the implementation of the right... more This paper is intended to initiate an international discussion on the implementation of the right to education during the global healthcare crisis. For that purpose, it analyses the experiences of Armenia, Russia, Georgia and Belarus in the light of measures taken by the authorities to respond to the new challenges, and examines the concrete situation faced by children and teachers in the region. It aims to identify the most common and visible problems that occurred in the Caucasus region during the Covid-19 pandemic, based on available data from particular countries. For comprehensive analysis of the issue, the present paper discusses the right to education as defined in international law, and looks at the main challenges inherent in the four pillars of the right to education as framed by UNESCO: accessibility, availability, acceptability and adaptability of education. As sources of information, it considers the observations of relevant domestic and international stakeholders, including the National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI), Human Rights Watch (HRW), UNESCO and UNICEF, as well as various academic sources. In each case, the response to issues generated by the COVID-19 pandemic is analysed in the context of other social factors. The article concludes that, while some examples of response could be seen in the countries under discussion, the lack of structured, informed, and timely responses made it difficult for children to fully enjoy their right to education. The paper provides recommendations targeted to the issues revealed, with the aim of improving state systems of response to the global healthcare crisis within the framework of implementing the right to education.
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Papers by Zemfira Gogueva