ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 begins with the gallery of cursing stories as described by the inhabitants of post-Soviet Kyzyl. This leads into an exploration of the overall characteristics of Tuvan curses. The first part of the chapter focuses on the taxonomy of curses. It also discusses how cursing constitutes an intrinsic element of a wider network of fluctuating energies, which includes the attributes of misfortune and good luck. The second part of the chapter delineates the distinct topography of cursing in Kyzyl. Particular stress is placed upon the urbanised environment and the way its compactness and forced proximity contribute to the proliferation of curses. Along these lines, the chapter traces the flow of curses from pre-Soviet Tuva to post-Soviet Kyzyl, presenting Kyzyl as an enforced, bounded space of coalescent forces and people as opposed to the dispersed features of being in the steppe and taiga. In order to illustrate this, the chapter engages with kinship relationships as well as economic and political interactions deeply permeated by continuous cursing practices.
