Regulating, Recognizing, and Religionizing Nike in Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

In October 2016, the Kyrgyzstani parliament passed a new law regulating marriage amidst a growing debate on gender, sexuality, and the integrity of the Kyrgyzstani nation. The amendment, which aimed to tackle the already illegal practices of underage and forced marriage, criminalized involvement in these acts by targeting the practice that in Kyrgyzstan is colloquially called nike, or what might be referred to as a religious or non-state registered marriage. The amendment regulated and recognized nike for the first time. By adopting novel language and using terminology whose meaning differed significantly from common usage, the amendment also subtly religionized nike. The vociferous public debate surrounding the passage of the bill similarly marked nike as something done by the particularly pious explicitly outside of the state’s purview, producing a spurious and politicized reading of the quotidian practice in Kyrgyzstan.