Hélène Thibault
Biographic Data
| ID | 668552 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Hélène Thibault |
| GIVEN NAMES | Hélène |
| FAMILY NAME | Thibault |
| SIGNATURE | THIBAULT H |
| AFFILIATIONS | Nazarbayev University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4484-733X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 22 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Neoliberal authoritarianism and the partial decriminalization of sex work in Kazakhstan
Marriage as a socio-economic institution in Kyrgyzstan
This paper explores the interplay between urban planning and growth machine politics within the evolving neoliberal urbanism in Central Asia’s paradigmatic city of Almaty. Pressured by its environmental vulnerability and the urge to compete globally for capital investment, Almaty, located in a valley of the Tien-Shan mountains, has committed to the agenda of sustainable growth that often implies the balance of economic development, nature conserv…
The political economy of education in Central Asia: Exploring the fault lines of social cohesion
This scoping review examines the political economy analysis of education in four Central Asian states – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. By analysing the intersections of politics, economy, society and education policy, the study aims to understand the impact of post-Soviet education reforms on social justice and cohesion. The findings reveal that despite commitments to building peaceful and inclusive societies, the education s…
Online Male Sex Work in Kazakhstan: A Distinct Market
In this article, I explore male sex-work in Kazakhstan and show that unlike male sex work around the world, the Kazakhstani market appears to be overwhelmingly heterosexual. Based on a sample of 200 online advertisements, this paper generates original data by providing an overview of male sex work in Kazakhstan’s two largest cities, Almaty and Nur-Sultan. This data is analyzed through a gender lens that acknowledges a shift in local gender roles …
“Are You Married?”: Gender and Faith in Political Ethnographic Research
In this article, I look at how political ethnography can contribute to the study of religious dynamics within conservative religious communities. Based on fieldwork conducted in Tajikistan within conservative Muslim circles, I take a reflexive stance by arguing that my informants used my status as a single foreign woman to steer interactions toward those of my religious conversion and need for marriage. Their repeated efforts and our interactions…
Where Did All the Wahhabis Go? The Evolution of Threat in Central Asian Scholarship
This essay addresses discursive practices in the literature on Islam in Central Asia and highlights a recent shift from Wahhabism to Salafism as the main ‘non-traditional’ movement perceived to pose a threat. This shift is the result of a postimperial understanding of religious dynamics as well as the standardisation of global security discourses. Relying on a survey of academic journals and Central Asian media that demonstrates a recent sharp in…
Online Temptations: Divorce and Extramarital Affairs in Kazakhstan
In recent years, the institution of marriage in Muslim Central Asia has undergone profound transformations in terms of religious dynamics, migration patterns, and the impact of globalization. In Kazakhstan between 2014 and 2019, every third marriage ended in divorce. By examining how Muslim Kazakhs' support for divorce and casual sex is related to their consumption of information obtained on the Internet, mobile phone, and social media, this stud…
Tajikistan on the move: Statebuilding and societal transformations
Tajikistan had a turbulent beginning at its independence in 1991. Among the five Central Asian republics, Tajikistan is the only one that experienced such a prolonged and brutal episode of violence
Labour migration, sex, and polygyny: Negotiating patriarchy in Tajikistan
This paper explores ways in which matrimonial arrangements are being transformed in Tajikistan by assessing the impact of labour migration in the increase of divorces as well as polygynous unions. I argue that instead of considering polygyny simply as a reification of patriarchy, we should view it as a way for both men and women to negotiate – and sometimes even subvert – the traditional patriarchal rules that dictate the institution of marriage …
Counter-extremism, power and authoritarian governance in Tajikistan
Counter-extremism has become an important tool for the authoritarian government of Tajikistan to consolidate its position. In this article, we argue that counter-extremism is not purely about destructive acts, such as banning groups or arresting individuals: it is productive, too. Using a Foucauldian understanding of disciplinary power and biopower, we argue that counter-extremism in Tajikistan is an attempt to produce secular, docile citizen sub…
Transforming Tajikistan: State-Building and Islam in Post-Soviet Central Asia
Tajikistan is a key state in Central Asia, and will become crucial to the regional power balance as it transitions away from Soviet government systems and responds to the rise of Chinese financial power alongside the continuing presence of Russian military might and instability in neighboring Afghanistan. This book demonstrates how the Soviet atheist legacy continues to influence current state structures, the regulation of religion, the formation…
Dudoignon Stéphane A. et Noack Christian (dir), Allah’s Kolkhozes. Migration, De-Stalinisation, Privatisation and the New Muslim Congregations in the Soviet Realm (1950s-2000s), Berlin, Klaus Schwarz …
Stabilization of overweight prevalence and improvement of dietary habits in French children between 2004 and 2008
Objective The objective of the present study was to describe changes in overweight and obesity prevalence and eating habits among 7·5–10·5-year-old children in Aquitaine (France) between 2004 and 2008, and to assess how the programme ‘Nutrition, Prevention and Health of children and teenagers in Aquitaine’ implemented in 2004 may have impacted these changes. Design Two cross-sectional studies were conducted in two samples of children: the ‘before…
Prevalence and factors associated with overweight and obesity in French primary-school children
Objective To determine the prevalence of, and identify associated factors with, overweight and obesity in two samples of French children. Design We conducted two cross-sectional studies among two samples of children. Weight status, eating behaviour, sedentary activity, physical activity and parents’ socio-economic status (SES) were collected using questionnaires filled by doctors during school health check-ups. Overweight and obesity were defined…
The Secular and the Religious in Tajikistan: Contested Political Spaces
The increasing practice of Islam in Tajikistan in the last few years has contributed to rising social and political tensions. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Northern Tajikistan between May and October 2010, this article intends to highlight underlying religious tensions in Tajikistan, which, I argue, are the result of the emergence of conflicting voices contesting current political spaces. My intention is to revisit two concepts abu…
Counter-extremism, power and authoritarian governance in Tajikistan
Counter-extremism has become an important tool for the authoritarian government of Tajikistan to consolidate its position. In this article, we argue that counter-extremism is not purely about destructive acts, such as banning groups or arresting individuals: it is productive, too. Using a Foucauldian understanding of disciplinary power and biopower, we argue that counter-extremism in Tajikistan is an attempt to produce secular, docile citizen sub…
The political economy of education in Central Asia: Exploring the fault lines of social cohesion
This scoping review examines the political economy analysis of education in four Central Asian states – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. By analysing the intersections of politics, economy, society and education policy, the study aims to understand the impact of post-Soviet education reforms on social justice and cohesion. The findings reveal that despite commitments to building peaceful and inclusive societies, the education s…
Online Temptations: Divorce and Extramarital Affairs in Kazakhstan
In recent years, the institution of marriage in Muslim Central Asia has undergone profound transformations in terms of religious dynamics, migration patterns, and the impact of globalization. In Kazakhstan between 2014 and 2019, every third marriage ended in divorce. By examining how Muslim Kazakhs' support for divorce and casual sex is related to their consumption of information obtained on the Internet, mobile phone, and social media, this stud…
Tajikistan on the move: Statebuilding and societal transformations
Tajikistan had a turbulent beginning at its independence in 1991. Among the five Central Asian republics, Tajikistan is the only one that experienced such a prolonged and brutal episode of violence
The Secular and the Religious in Tajikistan: Contested Political Spaces
The increasing practice of Islam in Tajikistan in the last few years has contributed to rising social and political tensions. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Northern Tajikistan between May and October 2010, this article intends to highlight underlying religious tensions in Tajikistan, which, I argue, are the result of the emergence of conflicting voices contesting current political spaces. My intention is to revisit two concepts abu…
Prevalence and factors associated with overweight and obesity in French primary-school children
Objective To determine the prevalence of, and identify associated factors with, overweight and obesity in two samples of French children. Design We conducted two cross-sectional studies among two samples of children. Weight status, eating behaviour, sedentary activity, physical activity and parents’ socio-economic status (SES) were collected using questionnaires filled by doctors during school health check-ups. Overweight and obesity were defined…
The Secular and the Religious in Tajikistan: Contested Political Spaces
The increasing practice of Islam in Tajikistan in the last few years has contributed to rising social and political tensions. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Northern Tajikistan between May and October 2010, this article intends to highlight underlying religious tensions in Tajikistan, which, I argue, are the result of the emergence of conflicting voices contesting current political spaces. My intention is to revisit two concepts abu…
Dudoignon Stéphane A. et Noack Christian (dir), Allah’s Kolkhozes. Migration, De-Stalinisation, Privatisation and the New Muslim Congregations in the Soviet Realm (1950s-2000s), Berlin, Klaus Schwarz …
Stabilization of overweight prevalence and improvement of dietary habits in French children between 2004 and 2008
Objective The objective of the present study was to describe changes in overweight and obesity prevalence and eating habits among 7·5–10·5-year-old children in Aquitaine (France) between 2004 and 2008, and to assess how the programme ‘Nutrition, Prevention and Health of children and teenagers in Aquitaine’ implemented in 2004 may have impacted these changes. Design Two cross-sectional studies were conducted in two samples of children: the ‘before…
Transforming Tajikistan: State-Building and Islam in Post-Soviet Central Asia
Tajikistan is a key state in Central Asia, and will become crucial to the regional power balance as it transitions away from Soviet government systems and responds to the rise of Chinese financial power alongside the continuing presence of Russian military might and instability in neighboring Afghanistan. This book demonstrates how the Soviet atheist legacy continues to influence current state structures, the regulation of religion, the formation…
Labour migration, sex, and polygyny: Negotiating patriarchy in Tajikistan
This paper explores ways in which matrimonial arrangements are being transformed in Tajikistan by assessing the impact of labour migration in the increase of divorces as well as polygynous unions. I argue that instead of considering polygyny simply as a reification of patriarchy, we should view it as a way for both men and women to negotiate – and sometimes even subvert – the traditional patriarchal rules that dictate the institution of marriage …
Counter-extremism, power and authoritarian governance in Tajikistan
Counter-extremism has become an important tool for the authoritarian government of Tajikistan to consolidate its position. In this article, we argue that counter-extremism is not purely about destructive acts, such as banning groups or arresting individuals: it is productive, too. Using a Foucauldian understanding of disciplinary power and biopower, we argue that counter-extremism in Tajikistan is an attempt to produce secular, docile citizen sub…
Tajikistan on the move: Statebuilding and societal transformations
Tajikistan had a turbulent beginning at its independence in 1991. Among the five Central Asian republics, Tajikistan is the only one that experienced such a prolonged and brutal episode of violence
“Are You Married?”: Gender and Faith in Political Ethnographic Research
In this article, I look at how political ethnography can contribute to the study of religious dynamics within conservative religious communities. Based on fieldwork conducted in Tajikistan within conservative Muslim circles, I take a reflexive stance by arguing that my informants used my status as a single foreign woman to steer interactions toward those of my religious conversion and need for marriage. Their repeated efforts and our interactions…
Where Did All the Wahhabis Go? The Evolution of Threat in Central Asian Scholarship
This essay addresses discursive practices in the literature on Islam in Central Asia and highlights a recent shift from Wahhabism to Salafism as the main ‘non-traditional’ movement perceived to pose a threat. This shift is the result of a postimperial understanding of religious dynamics as well as the standardisation of global security discourses. Relying on a survey of academic journals and Central Asian media that demonstrates a recent sharp in…
Online Temptations: Divorce and Extramarital Affairs in Kazakhstan
In recent years, the institution of marriage in Muslim Central Asia has undergone profound transformations in terms of religious dynamics, migration patterns, and the impact of globalization. In Kazakhstan between 2014 and 2019, every third marriage ended in divorce. By examining how Muslim Kazakhs' support for divorce and casual sex is related to their consumption of information obtained on the Internet, mobile phone, and social media, this stud…
Online Male Sex Work in Kazakhstan: A Distinct Market
In this article, I explore male sex-work in Kazakhstan and show that unlike male sex work around the world, the Kazakhstani market appears to be overwhelmingly heterosexual. Based on a sample of 200 online advertisements, this paper generates original data by providing an overview of male sex work in Kazakhstan’s two largest cities, Almaty and Nur-Sultan. This data is analyzed through a gender lens that acknowledges a shift in local gender roles …
The political economy of education in Central Asia: Exploring the fault lines of social cohesion
This scoping review examines the political economy analysis of education in four Central Asian states – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. By analysing the intersections of politics, economy, society and education policy, the study aims to understand the impact of post-Soviet education reforms on social justice and cohesion. The findings reveal that despite commitments to building peaceful and inclusive societies, the education s…
Neoliberal authoritarianism and the partial decriminalization of sex work in Kazakhstan
Marriage as a socio-economic institution in Kyrgyzstan
This paper explores the interplay between urban planning and growth machine politics within the evolving neoliberal urbanism in Central Asia’s paradigmatic city of Almaty. Pressured by its environmental vulnerability and the urge to compete globally for capital investment, Almaty, located in a valley of the Tien-Shan mountains, has committed to the agenda of sustainable growth that often implies the balance of economic development, nature conserv…
Political science (11 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Law (8 works) · Politics (7 works) · Gender Studies (6 works) · Soviet and Russian History (5 works) · Demography (4 works) · Law (4 works) · Medicine (4 works) · Political economy (4 works)