The North Caucasian republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia have long received attention for their extremely complex series of traditional cultural norms and customary codes as well as the far-sweeping violence that has engulfed them since the collapse of the Soviet Union. While there is some research into the effects of these cultural norms on the counterinsurgency and the conflicts, this thesis examines the way that traditional cultural norms affect local authoritarian regime dynamics and practices. Through discourse and content analysis paired with process tracing, the author researched the roles of three broad categories of traditional cultural norms – clans, customary law and Islam – over a period of ten years for each republic. It found that over the period of 2012-2021, Chechnya under Ramzan Kadyrov began leaning into the policing of morals and these cultural norms to conform to a more “acceptable” form. The most prominent form of this are the forced apologies, a coercive method from the Kadyrov regime wherein ordinary Chechens are brought onto state media channels and forced to apologise for their supposed infractions. These infractions range from criticising the government to complaining about regime brutality, being a “witch” and drinking alcohol. Worryingly the research shows that this practice is spreading along authoritarian regimes through informal communication channels. By contrast, traditional cultural norms are out of the control of the Ingush government, acting as a rallying cry for opposition, forming the basis of both opposition movements and alternate centres of power, and contributing to instability and further violence within the republic. It also examines the role of said norms in the relationship between the republics and the Kremlin itself, finding that there are some links between these practices and how these republics fit into the Russian authoritarian system.
Alexander James Yeo (Thu,) studied this question.