ABSTRACT Tradition has come to play an important role throughout Central Asia in a number of new ways since independence, but has been predominantly investigated regarding nation building. In this article, we show how tradition is being used operationally in the context of activism and political conflict. We expose the various motivations and tactics pursued by aksakals (lit., whitebeards) and by a movement of mature women called OBON (lit., Women Units for Special Purposes) as they participate in politics, and the role tradition plays in these activities. We argue that aksakals actively draw on tradition even in the political realm to avoid being derogatorily labelled ‘elders on duty’, whereas OBON women position themselves as economic and political actors but are subjected to discourses and practices of tradition by others. While both aksakals and OBON women have been central to political action in Kyrgyzstan in the last two decades, this article is the first to compare and contrast these two categories of unusual activists. The comparison reveals a perpetuation of culturally recognized gender roles even when these actors go beyond their ‘traditional’ realms of competence.

中文翻译：

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抗议的女性，掌声的男性：吉尔吉斯斯坦的政治激进主义、性别和传统

摘要自独立以来，传统以多种新方式在整个中亚发挥着重要作用，但主要是关于国家建设的研究。在本文中，我们展示了在激进主义和政治冲突的背景下如何在操作上使用传统。我们揭露了aksakals（意为白胡子）和名为OBON（意为特殊目的的妇女单位）的成熟女性参与政治时所追求的各种动机和策略，以及传统在这些活动中所扮演的角色。我们认为，aksakals 即使在政治领域也积极借鉴传统，以避免被贬低地贴上“值班长者”的标签，而 OBON 妇女将自己定位为经济和政治参与者，但却受到其他人的传统话语和实践的影响。虽然aksakals 和OBON 妇女在过去的二十年里一直是吉尔吉斯斯坦政治行动的核心，但本文是第一个比较和对比这两种不同寻常的活动家的文章。这种比较揭示了文化上公认的性别角色的延续，即使这些演员超越了他们的“传统”能力领域。