Julie McBrien

Senior Core Fellow
Period of Stay: 
January - June 2027
2026/27
Building: 
Budapest, Nador u. 13
Discipline: 
Anthropology
Institution: 
Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Project Title: 
The Politics of Bride Abduction in Kyrgyzstan
Project Abstract: 

Prior to the 2010s, bride abduction—a widely practiced, yet unlawful act in Kyrgyzstan—was of little public concern, seldom discussed in the media, rarely attended to by politicians, and infrequently targeted in (I)NGO projects. This lack of attention began to shift in the 2010s until, at present, a significant public discussion has emerged, and bride abduction is regularly targeted for national and international political intervention. The recent problematization of bride abduction uncovers the depth of Kyrgyzstan’s entanglement in worldwide processes. It likewise exposes an emerging global pattern of vociferous and sometimes violent public debates about gender, sexuality, and marriage, and the political power of “the traditional.” Exploring these issues is the aim of a monograph I am drafting.