ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the role and meaning of corruption in micro-level arenas of Uzbekistan. The chapter presents the fieldwork setting, the Shabboda village situated in the Fergana region of Uzbekistan. Here we specifically focus on three main social associations within the village that form the nitty-gritty of everyday life and social relations: the mahalla (neighbourhood community), the urug’ (extended family/kinship group), and the oila (immediate family). We also examine the role of life cycle events such as weddings to describe the multifarious nature of informal transactions and practices in Uzbek society. By doing so, we demonstrate the role of these associations and life-cycle events in creating, reproducing, and maintaining social norms and sanctions establishing moral and affective bonds amongst villagers and how these informal elements of social control shape people's behaviours when they engage in public administration, business, or wield some political or economic resources.
