Bøker i Central Asian Studies-serien

Based on extensive, long-term fieldwork in the borderlands of Afghan and Tajik Badakhshan, this book explores the importance of local leaders and local identity groups for the stability of a stateΓÇÖs borders, and ultimately for the stability of the state itself. It shows how the implantation of formal institutional structures at the border, a process supported by United Nations and other international bodies, can be counterproductive in that it may marginalise local leaders and alienate the local population, thereby increasing overall instability. The study considers how, in this particular borderland where trafficking of illegal drugs, weapons and people is rampant, corrupt customs and border personnel, and imperfect new institutional arrangements, contributed to a complex mix of oppression, hidden protest and subtle resistance, which benefitted illicit traders and hindered much needed humanitarian work. The book relates developments in this region to borderlands elsewhere, especially new borders in the former Soviet bloc, and argues that local leaders and organisations should be given semi-autonomy in co-ordination with state border forces in order to increase stability and the acceptance of the state.

Orientalism ¿ the idea that the standpoint of Western writers on the East greatly affected their writing about the East, the "Other" ¿ applied also in Russia and the Soviet Union, where the study of exotic peoples incorporated into the Russian Empire became a major academic industry and the standpoint of writers greatly affected what they wrote. Russian/Soviet orientalism had a particularly important impact during the creation of new Central Asian republics, and this book explores this influence, providing a rich picture of academic politics, and showing how academic cultural classification cemented political boundaries, often in unhelpful ways.

Based on extensive fieldwork in the Afghan and Tajik Badakhshan borderlands, this book shows how implantation of formal institutional border structures can be counterproductive. This is because it can marginalise local leaders and alienate the local population, thereby increasing overall instability. The book shows how, in this particular borderland, trafficking, corrupt border personnel, and imperfect new institutional arrangements, contributed to a complex mix of oppression and resistance, benefitting illicit traders and hindering humanitarian work.

These essays provide an interdisciplinary approach to the study of contemporary Mongolia, ranging from industrialization, environmental policies, biotechnology and husbandry to descriptions of Mongolian flora and fauna.

This book examines the origins of the current waves of social protest in Uzbekistan. The author analyses how these have changed over the years and provides an outlook into the country's future.

Orientalism ¿ the idea that the standpoint of Western writers on the East greatly affected their writing about the East, the "Other" ¿ applied also in Russia and the Soviet Union, where the study of exotic peoples incorporated into the Russian Empire became a major academic industry and the standpoint of writers greatly affected what they wrote. Russian/Soviet orientalism had a particularly important impact during the creation of new Central Asian republics, and this book explores this influence, providing a rich picture of academic politics, and showing how academic cultural classification cemented political boundaries, often in unhelpful ways.

Offers insights into the objectives and practices of international aid workers in countries beset by rising poverty, drug trafficking, prostitution, and decaying education and health services. This book is suitable for scholars of post-soviet countries, and also to those interested in humanitarian and development aid worldwide.

This book analyses the nexus of petroleum, security and governance in three semi-authoritarian states in the Caspian region, linking the analysis of domestic and international issues. It provides a timely and much needed analysis of the current impact of oil on the development of this crucial region.

The region of the Caucasus with its ongoing, and even deteriorating, crises and instability, and its critical strategic and economic importance, is increasingly at the focus of the world's attention. This book discusses the complexities and interplay among important forces at work in the region, including different brands of Islam, nationalisms, ethnic identities, local bureaucracies, Moscow¿s policies and influences from the outside.

These essays provide an interdisciplinary approach to the study of contemporary Mongolia, ranging from industrialization, environmental policies, biotechnology and husbandry to descriptions of Mongolian flora and fauna.

The people of Greater Central Asia have been drawn into more direct and immediate contact since the Soviet collapse. This work examines the viewpoints and concerns of a selection of groups in terms of four issues: government repression, ethnic group perspectives, devices of mutual support, and informal grounds of authority and influence.

Analyzes the nexus of petroleum, security and governance in three semi-authoritarian states in the Caspian region, linking the analysis of domestic and international issues. This book offers an analysis of the impact of oil on the development of this crucial region.

Contemporary Mongolia is often seen as one of the most open and democratic societies in Asia, undergoing remarkable post-socialist transformation. Based on original material from the former Soviet and Mongolian archives, this book presents a full length post-Cold War study on the history of the Mongolian People's Republic.

The region of the Caucasus with its crises and instability, is at the focus of the world's attention. This book discusses the complexities and interplay among important forces at work in the region, including different brands of Islam, nationalisms, ethnic identities, local bureaucracies, Moscow's policies and influences from the outside.

Presents a comparative history of Islamic education in the Soviet Union and the post-Soviet countries. This book discusses the boom of Islamic education in the post-Soviet republics after 1991. It describes specific regional traditions of Islamic learning and to the teachers' affiliations with Islamic legal schools and Sufi brotherhoods.

A case study book on Central Eurasia that covers the Caucasus and Central Asia. It contains topics that include: the varied types and sources of authoritarianism; political opposition and protest politics; predetermined outcomes of post-Soviet economic choices; and social and stability impacts of natural resource wealth.