Civil Society Development through Chaikhana (Teahouses): Ferghana Valley

Abstract

Teahouses (chaikhana) in the Ferghana Valley of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan provide social benefits and help facilitate the necessary components of civil society formation. Civil society formation in Central Asia does not manifest in the same ways as conventional accounts of civil societies claim due to government control, interference, and repression. As such, civil society forms outside the reach of government control. Through interviews and non-participant observations, I aim to understand specific ways chaikhana operate in the social sphere, allowing civil society to function outside the government’s control, in turn, laying the foundations for civil society development. The research determines that although governments try to limit the ability of social networks and freedom of expression, these connections occur through meetings in social spaces, such as in teahouses. This research will fill in the gaps on why chaikhana are still allowed to operate, even though they are prime locations for the development of civil society. In summary, this research seeks to understand chaikhana’s role as an integral component of Central Asian civil society and the ways it continues to operate under adverse governmental and societal conditions.