Control and Subversion investigates the relationship of gender to the inner workings of social control, such as exposing ways in which post-Soviet Tajikistan society threatens men’s masculinity, thereby bringing them to force family members into conformity, irrespective of the suffering this may cause.

Told through ethnographically collected life histories, the book examines how masculine and feminine gender characteristics influence personal relationships and explores gender relations at their most intimate - from the secret musings of adolescent girls, through the painful experiences of young men, to the trauma of sexual initiation.

Although largely concentrating on contemporary life, the book also discusses historical materials and Soviet influence on Tajik society. Control and Subversion is essential reading for anyone interested in Central Asia, Muslim societies, the lives of Muslim women, or gender in a Muslim context.

'I am deeply impressed. This is a solid, original ethnography from a little studied part of the world' -- Thomas Eriksen
'Colette is an amazing person and I cannot imagine how she did the work she reports on' -- Professor Janet Momsen, Dept of Human & Community Development, Uni of California

Colette Harris is a researcher specialising in gender and development, with particular interests in family relations, sexuality and domestic violence. She is currently program director, women in international development at the Office of International Research, Education and Development of Virginia Tech University in the States.