Transcending Illegality in Kyrgyzstan: The Case of a Squatter Settlement in Bishkek

Eliza Isabaeva

Europe-Asia Studies, 2021, vol. 73, issue 1, 60-80

Abstract: Governments are reluctant to acknowledge illegal settlements. Ak Jar is an illegal settlement on the outskirts of Bishkek. If the settlement were formally legalised, its residents would receive property documents as well as recognition and inclusion. They have thus developed strategies to achieve the legalisation of Ak Jar. Although the settlement is technically illegal, by behaving ‘legally’ (that is, following legal norms and practices), the residents and community leaders generate the appearance and even some of the effects of legality (such as, legitimate power supply, recognition by politicians). This creates a halfway space between ‘legal’ and ‘illegal’ that moves the settlement away from ‘full’ illegality and closer to legalisation.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1080/09668136.2020.1861222

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