Kinship-Based Control of Female Sexuality and Reproduction:Case Study of Virginity Testing in Tajikistan : A Normative Proposal of How to Reconcile the Global and the Local

The purpose of this thesis is to propose a normative approach to women's rights by the reconciliation of the global and the local, to demonstrate the interconnectedness of different levels of analysis. Through investigating the social and political context of Tajikistan, including two illustrative cases of virginity testing, a single case study of virginity testing is conducted. This research is performed with Mohantyäs post-colonial feminist scholarship, which combines ideas of universalism and cultural relativism, to demonstrate the link between the kinship-based, local norms and practices and the global patriarchal structures. In addition, the canonical work of the feminist scholar Yuval-Davis, is employed to show that ideas of gender go hand in hand with representations of the nation. In this thesis, the nation is conceptualized as kinship-based groups and their control of female sexuality and reproduction. The thesis also argues that the structural problems at the state level, mainly concerning socio-economic insecurity, influence the intensity of kinship-based control of women. Furthermore, the human rights framework of the CEDAW is conceptualized as the representation of the international society and its norms, which aids our understanding of how the international level connects to the state, the nation, and ultimately, individual women.