Gendered Transitions ² 475 VI. Gendered Transitions: The Impact of the Post-Soviet Transition on Women in Central Asia and the Caucasus A RMINE I SHKANIAN ABSTRACT In this chapter, I explore the impact of the post-Soviet political and socioeconomic transitions on women in the former Soviet republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus. I review the impact of Soviet policies on gender roles and relations in order to contextualize post-Soviet developments. The central segment, which examines gender roles and relations after socialism, is divided into two sections. In the rst section, I examine the impact of local political and socioeconomic transitions on gender relations and local responses to those transitions. In the second section, I discuss the impact of regional/global events and interactions on gender roles and relations. Throughout the chapter, I consider the similarities and differences of the transitions and the responses to those transitions in the post-Soviet republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus. Introduction Scholars writing about the post-Soviet “transitions” 1 confront issues connected with the acceptance or rejection of new models. Research therefore has delved into the complex ways in which the past and present 1 The term “transition” has been problematized by various scholars, including Michael Buroway, Katherine Vedery, and Barbara Einhorn, who argue that “transition” implies an evolutionary development that has a single, well-dened objective and trajectory. Perspectives on Global Development and Technology, Volume 2, issue 3-4 Ó 2003 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden