Woman, Central Asia, October 27-December, 1932

The woman pictured here wears a scarf to cover her head, which differs from the full body covering of the paranji traditional to Central Asia. During the hujum, the Soviet Union felt that if Central Asia was to modernize and enter a new way of life, women needed to unveil and dismiss the oppressive traditions of Islam. While thousands of women unveiled, many continued to wear lesser coverings such as smaller head scarves.

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