A pool of influential men – aga – appeared in Kazakhstan ‘in the early days of capitalism’. This social institution immediately started to have a ‘women’s department’ – so-called ‘tateshka’.
To grasp the meaning of ‘tateshka’ (in Kazakh, tate means aunt, and is also used to address a woman who is older than you, tateshka is a Russianized version of tate), we should understand the ‘basis’ of this pool of agashka (from the Kazakh word ‘aga’).
Aga is translated as an older brother, and is often used as an honorific title of a man who is older than you. Back in the 90s, the Russianized version of this word – agashka – appeared. It demonstrates the appearance of the new informal pool of influential men.
Agashka, for example, can influence the state procurement board and a businessperson under the auspices of an agashka will definitely receive a large public contract. They can influence a judge in order to get the necessary decision.
Agashka is deemed to be able to affect not only economic, but also political aspects of life, namely he can make it so that a person would take a particular position in the state apparatus and act in favour of the agashka.
“You are nothing without agashka, you are the man with agashka”
According to Yerkin Irgaliev, consultant of research and educational fund ‘Aspandau’, who introduced the term “agashkism”, this phenomenon became the “spontaneous response to the needs of the transition period, which started back in the 90s.”
“It’s quite natural that agashka came to replace the Soviet party and economic establishment of the 80s and people who lived according to the ‘concepts’ of the 90s. All achievements and mistakes of that period are closely related to this phenomenon, which is based on ‘no ideology’. My definition of the cluster ‘agashka’ is an informal influential leader at the regional or central level, who relies on archaic community-based social constructs, is embedded into the patron-client system, and uses his influence for personal enrichment,” Irgaliev said.
Sociologist Sergei Frolov agrees that the pool of agashka appeared during the collapse of the old, Soviet system, when people were needed to cope with the chaos.
“Sociologists call it ‘institutionalisation;” said Frolov. “Any system related to people will definitely collapse if it does not have solutions to their problems. Therefore, the phenomenon of agashka is quite normal, unfortunately. Laws did not work properly, and problems needed to be solved. How? By bribes via agashka. It was the pool that helped mitigate conflicts.”
Gulmira Ileuova, head of Centre for Social and Political Studies “Strategy”, mentioned about the gender ‘extension’ of this concept.
“Agashka used to be culturological phenomenon in the past, and acquired political and economic value in the free market economy. […] The pool started working as part of patron-client relations. Similar relations are available everywhere, but here they were reformatted into agashkism. Although, we have some known tateshka in that pool.”
So, what is ‘tateshkism’ (let’s call it this way)?
There’ no tateshka without agashka
Yerkin Irgaliev could not answer the question about existence of the pool of tateshka in Kazakhstan.
“I understand intuitively that it exists, but I don’t see any scientific background behind it,” he said. “It is just the dominance of granddaughters of “communists named Raushan”, the generalised character of red feminists named after the main character of Beimbet Mailin (Kazakh Soviet writer – Editor’s note). I have written about them on Facebook, ‘There’s an unstoppable apashka (the word ‘apa’ can be used to address an older woman – Editor’s note) behind every successful man.’ But the fact is that apashka rules in families of post-soviet ‘elites’ (representatives of power – Editor’s note).”
Gulnar Kurbanbaeva, president of Association “Civil Alliance of Karaganda Region”, said categorically that there has never been a pool of tateshka in Kazakhstan.
“Our society is too patriarchal to have such a pool. Just look at few women represented in authorities,” she said.
Sergei Frolov had an entirely different opinion: there is the tateshkism in Kazakhstan. But it should be considered only in terms of “post-patriarchal extension” of agashkism.
“The mechanism of these phenomena is the same, and it does not matter who ‘rules’, whether a man or a woman. Our society is post-patriarchal one. ‘Tateshka’ is a woman, who could self-actualise in the post-patriarchal society using the patriarchal system,” Frolov said.
However, according to the sociologist, ‘tateshkism’ cannot stand apart from ‘agashkism’. The reason is the same patriarchal structure of the Kazakhstan society.
“A woman has always been a keeper of the hearth, thought how to feed, teach children, get them dressed. And a man has executed her plans. Now the system is changing, but not as fast as many would want it. Some women have money and power. But it’s easier for men to deal with each other in the patriarchal society,” Frolov said.
Therefore, according to him, associations like council of mothers, association of businesswomen are ‘more of a show-off for foreign missions.’ “Kazakhstan still has the patriarchal system, and women play a role of figureheads,” Frolov said.
The sociologists did not specify the Kazakhstan women who could be called ‘tateshka’. A research should be done to identify them: take at least 30 potential tateshka and explore the sources of their influence. Who was responsible for their promotion? Did they get promoted on their own or with the help of their husband, patron?
“However, I would say that tateshka is a normal element of our current life, a modernised version of agashka,” Frolov said.
Nevertheless, according to experts, informal institutions of influence must disappear once democracy develops in Kazakhstan.
Main illustration: Freepik.com