The New Central Asia by Olivier Roy
During the anti-Gorbachev coup in August 1991 most communist leaders from Soviet central Asia backed the plotters. Within weeks of the coup's collapse, those same leaders - now transformed into ardent nationalists - proclaimed the independence of their nations, adopted new flags and new slogans, and discovered a new patriotism. How were these new nations built, without any traditional nationalist reference points? This book argues that Soviet practice had always been to build on local institutions and promote local elites, and that Soviet administration - as opposed to Soviet policy-making - was therefore always surprisingly decentralized. Thus, with home-grown political leaders and administrative institutions, national identities in central Asia emerged almost by stealth. The book's analysis of the new states in central Asia - Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tadjikstan, Kirghizstan and Azerbaijan - helps to provide an understanding of the geo-politics of the region.
'The New Central Asia: The Creation of Nations is lively and well-written; it is a useful introductory textbook for students of the modern history of Central Asia and Azerbaijan' -Journal of Islamic Studies 'Roy's book is the best survey of Central Asia now available to the non-specialist.' -Kenneth Weisbrode, Survival, Autumn 2000 'This is an important book and will be required reading for all those with a serious interest in the history and politics of Central Asia.' -Jonathan Aves, Asian Affairs 10/00
Olivier Roy is Director of Research at the CNRS in France and the author of The Failure of Political Islam (I.B.Tauris).
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781860642791 |
| ISBN 10 | 1860642799 |
| Title | The New Central Asia |
| Author | Olivier Roy |
| Series | Library Of International Relations |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2011-05-30 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |