The Unveiling Campaign in Uzbekistan and Its Local Support

In the early Soviet Union, Tajik and Uzbek women in Central Asia traditionally wore garments called Paranji and Chachvon, which completely covered their heads and bodies. One of the Bolsheviks’ policies in the region was the liberation of women, including efforts to modernize them by removing the paranji. The Hujum campaign, aimed at removing women’s paranji, was officially launched on March 8, 1927. However, many women who removed their paranji were killed or subjected to violence by locals. It is a matter of debate among scholars whether this violence was a reaction by the local population against Soviet policies or whether it reflected internal conflicts among Uzbeks. While not all locals supported the campaign, people who defended traditionalism opposed this campaign and tried to prevent women from removing their paranji. However, some locals supported efforts to modernize women’s roles. This study addresses the Hujum campaign and different scholarly perspectives on it, analyzing the writings of some locals and the essays written mostly by female activists in the Yangi Yo’l journal between 1926 and 1934. By exploring these sources, the study demonstrates that, despite the opposition, there were also some female activists and locals who supported the Hujum campaign and sought reform.