“Piety Stories”: Muslim Tatar Women’s Identity Performance, Negotiation, and Transformation through Storytelling

Abstract

This article examines “piety stories”—Muslim Tatar women’s narratives about adopting daily Islamic practices, such as five prayers or headscarves, in Tatarstan, Russia. I argue that sharing piety stories is a communicative way of performing identities, negotiating group memberships, and reaffirming one’s commitment to Muslim piety. These narratives provide a discursive way for the speaker to practice being a Muslim and for the audience, a blueprint for becoming one. By detailing a way of being where Muslim piety becomes one’s moral compass and source of agency, piety stories illustrate a culturally meaningful relationship among identity, Muslim piety, and local communicative practices.

Keywords:

• Personal Narrative
• Identity
• Women
• Islam
• Tatarstan
• Russia

Notes

1. I transcribed all narratives using the following transcription conventions:

2. UMASS-Amherst at the time of research.

3. In the course of the conversation, it became clear that by “everything” Aygul here refers to her current state of knowledge about Islam.

4. Meaning a “spinster nun.”

5. The Russian word “monashka” [“nun”] has a negative connotation in present-day Russia. It refers not only to a woman’s secluded life-style but also to her inability to adjust to the worldly life (to marry, have children, etc.), which further implies some deficiency in the woman’s character. A more neutral term for a “nun” in Russia is “monakhinia.”

6. The Arabic phrase is used to express praise to Allah and appreciation for an event or person.

7. While the teacher here uses the plural form of the original Arabic word “Mujahid,” which translates as “the one who struggles on the path to Allah,” the present-day Russian calque of the Arabic word is most likely associated with Soviet military campaign against the Afghan opposition fighters in the late 1970s. Thus, the present-day Russian calque has a negative, derogatory connotation and refers to a Muslim militant, terrorist, or someone who is believed to have radical Muslim views, which is the meaning that the teacher is trying to invoke.

8. The teacher here refers to the derogatory meaning that the Arabic word “shaheed” acquired in present-day Russian. The original Arabic word refers to honor a Muslim who died defending their faith, country, or family. The meaning is not limited to acts of fighting in the military sense, as a woman who dies during childbirth, for example, can also be referred to as “shaheed.” The Russian version of the word (“shakhidka”), however, usually refers to Muslim female suicide bombers or women who are believed to hold radical Muslim views, which is the meaning that the teacher is trying to invoke.

Additional information

Funding

Funding. Research for this article was supported in part by a fellowship from IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board) with funds provided by the United States Department of State through the Title VIII Program. Neither of these organizations is responsible for the views expressed herein.