page_title: Hujum
hierarchical_section_title: Hujum
caption_attribution_description: English: Photograph of a veil-burning ceremony during the Hujum era in Uzbekistan (1920's) on International Women's Day.
context_page_description: Hujum was a series of policies and actions taken by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, initiated by Joseph Stalin, to remove all manifestations of gender inequality, especially on the archaic systems of female veiling and seclusion practiced in Central Asia. The era was often symbolized by the burning of the face-veil that women in the Muslim majority areas of the Soviet Union wore, but removal of the veil was not the sole goal of the campaign. The party recast their message of class revolution into the novel lexicon of women's liberation. By abolishing the means of oppression apparent in Uzbekistan and heralding in women's liberation, the Soviets believed they could clear the way for the construction of socialism. The campaign's purpose was to rapidly change the lives of Uzbek women so that they may participate in public life, paid work, education, and ultimately membership in the Communist Party. It was originally conceived to enforce laws that gave women in patriarchal societies equality by creating literacy programs and bringing women into the labor force.
context_section_description: Hujum (Russian: Худжум; in Turkic languages, storming or assault, from Arabic: هجوم) was a series of policies and actions taken by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, initiated by Joseph Stalin, to remove all manifestations of gender inequality, especially on the archaic systems of female veiling and seclusion practiced in Central Asia. The era was often symbolized by the burning of the face-veil that women in the Muslim majority areas of the Soviet Union wore, but removal of the veil was not the sole goal of the campaign. The party recast their message of class revolution into the novel lexicon of women's liberation. By abolishing the means of oppression apparent in Uzbekistan and heralding in women's liberation, the Soviets believed they could clear the way for the construction of socialism. The campaign's purpose was to rapidly change the lives of Uzbek women so that they may participate in public life, paid work, education, and ultimately membership in the Communist Party. It was originally conceived to enforce laws that gave women in patriarchal societies equality by creating literacy programs and bringing women into the labor force.
  The program was initiated on Women's Day, March 8, 1927, and it was a change from the Bolshevik policy of religious freedom for the Muslims in Central Asia. Contrary to its aim, Hujum was seen by many Muslims as outside foreigners, namely Russians, attempting to force their culture upon the indigenous population of Tajiks, Tatars, and Uzbeks. The veil inadvertently became a cultural identity marker. Wearing it became an act of religious and political defiance, and a sign of support for ethnic nationalism. Prior to Hujum many women were in positions of power in the soviets of Muslim areas, however, despite Hujum's aim of emancipating the oppressed Muslim women, after its instigation the number of women in power decreased markedly.
caption: A veil-burning ceremony in Andijan on International Women's Day in 1927.
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