Central Asia: A New History from the Imperial Conquests to the Present

US: Princeton University Press, 2021. Hardcover. Very Good/Good. A copy that has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. 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 periphe ries of modern history. Encompassing Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and the Xinjiang province of China, it in fact stan ds at the crossroads of world events. Adeeb Khalid provides the first compr ehensive history of Central Asia from the mid-eighteenth century to today, shedding light on the historical forces that have shaped the region under i mperial 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. Khali d shows how foreign conquest knit Central Asians into global exchanges of g oods and ideas and forged greater connections to the wider world. He explor es how the Qing and Tsarist empires dealt with ethnic heterogeneity, and co mpares Soviet and Chinese Communist attempts at managing national and cultu ral difference. He highlights the deep interconnections between the "Russia n" and "Chinese" parts of Central Asia that endure to this day, and demonst rates how Xinjiang remains an integral part of Central Asia despite its fra ught 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 colonialis.