Formalization of Traditional and State. Institution-Building in Transitional Countries. The Example of “Aksakals” in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Abstract

This article studies the case of cooptation of an informal traditional institution into a formal modern state structure. The purpose of the research is to defend the hypothesis that formalization/cooptation can bring peace and stability in the relations between “old” and “new”, and between “local” and “alien”. Nevertheless, one should not disregard the minuses that formalization of traditional institutions can generate.