Central Asia: A New History from the Imperial Conquests to the Present Hardcover – June 1, 2021

 

A major history of Central Asia and how it has been shaped by modern world events

Central Asia is often seen as a remote and inaccessible land on the peripheries of modern history. Encompassing Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and the Xinjiang province of China, it in fact stands at the crossroads of world events. Adeeb Khalid provides the first comprehensive history of Central Asia from the mid-eighteenth century to today, shedding light on the historical forces that have shaped the region under imperial and Communist rule.

Predominantly Muslim with both nomadic and settled populations, the peoples of Central Asia came under Russian and Chinese rule after the 1700s. Khalid shows how foreign conquest knit Central Asians into global exchanges of goods and ideas and forged greater connections to the wider world. He explores how the Qing and Tsarist empires dealt with ethnic heterogeneity, and compares Soviet and Chinese Communist attempts at managing national and cultural difference. He highlights the deep interconnections between the "Russian" and "Chinese" parts of Central Asia that endure to this day, and demonstrates how Xinjiang remains an integral part of Central Asia despite its fraught and traumatic relationship with contemporary China.

The essential history of one of the most diverse and culturally vibrant regions on the planet, this panoramic book reveals how Central Asia has been profoundly shaped by the forces of modernity, from colonialism and social revolution to nationalism, state-led modernization, and social engineering

Review

"In his monumental Central Asia, Adeeb Khalid puts the region at the “crossroads of history”. A laboratory of colonialism, revolution, nation building and telescoped social and cultural transformation, it has experienced “every achievement of modernity and every one of its disasters."---Daniel Beer, Times Literary Supplement

Review

“Khalid invites readers to think about modern Central Asia as a geographically and historically integrated region with a shared history of imperial conquest. He affords a clearer understanding of how its people have experienced the challenges of modernity and development amid the forces of imperialism, Communism, and globalization.”―James A. Millward, author of Eurasian Crossroads: A History of Xinjiang

"A masterful work. Adeeb Khalid draws together the legacies of the Russian and Chinese imperial conquests of Central Asia to provide a comprehensive and compelling understanding of the region's political, cultural, and social transformations."―Marianne Kamp, author of The New Woman in Uzbekistan: Islam, Modernity, and Unveiling under Communism

About the Author

Adeeb Khalid is the Jane and Raphael Bernstein Professor of Asian Studies and History at Carleton College. His books include Making Uzbekistan: Nation, Empire, and Revolution in the Early USSR and Islam after Communism: Religion and Politics in Central Asia. He lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press (June 1, 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0691161399
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691161396
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.35 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.2 x 1.9 x 9.4 inches

• Best Sellers Rank: #210,266 in Books
•