‘Comparative Politics of Eurasia’ Recommends: Books on Politics and Society in Central Asia

The Master's programme 'Comparative Politics of Eurasia' offers a wide range of courses on Central Asia. The programme has prepared a selection of books about this captivating region and its thrilling history. Check out the list and get inspiration for your future research!

HSE University-St Petersburg

'The Silk Road: Central Asia, Afghanistan and Iran: A Travel Companion' by Jonathan Tucker and Paul Theroux

This beautifully illustrated book covers the Central Asian section of the Silk Road: from Issyk-Kul Lake through Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, the Kyzylkum Desert, Khiva and Merv to Herat, Kabul and Iran. Tucker uses amusing incidents of travellers, rich literature and historical sources to admire the cultural legacy of the countries located along the Silk Road and show the life of those who once travelled around the heart of the world itself.

'Photographing Central Asia: From the Periphery of the Russian Empire to Global Presence' by Svetlana Gorshenina, Sergei Abashin, Bruno De Cordier and Tatiana Saburova

This book covers different theoretical approaches in research on visual perception and memory, which prompted a reinterpretation of photos of Russian Turkestan in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Attempts to correlate visual unknown documentary evidence and post-colonial criticism also opened up new spheres for interpretation and helped to decentralise the analysis of photo history.

'The Russian Conquest of Central Asia: A Study in Imperial Expansion, 1814–1914' by Alexander Morrison

The Russian conquests of Central Asia were perhaps the most dramatic and successful example of European imperial expansion in the 19th century. Alexander Morrison presents the first comprehensive military and diplomatic history of the conquest published in more than a hundred years. From the earliest conflicts on the steppe border in the 1830s to the annexation of Pamir in the early 1900s, he gives a detailed account of the logistics and operational history of Russian wars against Kokand, Bukhara and Khiva, the capture of Tashkent and Samarkand, the bloodthirsty attachment of Turkmens, and diplomatic relations between Russia and China, Persia and the British Empire. Based on archival research in Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia and India, as well as memoirs and Islamic chronicles, this book explains how Russia conquered the colonial empire in Central Asia and details the consequences—which still resonate to this day.

'Political Organisation in Central Asia and Azerbaijan' by Vladimir Babak, Demian Vaisman, Aryeh Wasserman

This book contains a selection of annotated documents, including party platforms and declarations of the main political groups in the Islamic republics of the former Soviet Union. Generally, it covers the period from 1991 to 1994, which can be characterised as the first formation stage of a pluralistic society in these developing states. The sources point to two oppositely directed development tendencies, the first of which is the creation of independent states based on traditional models, and the second of which is towards independent states with Western-type democracy and pro-Russian orientation.

'The European Handbook of Central Asian Studies: History, Politics, and Societies' by Jeroen Van den Bosch, Adrien Fauve, Bruno De Cordier

This textbook is the first collection of comprehensive educational materials with a strong methodological aspect for lecturers and students who study Central Asia. There are 22 chapters grouped around five topics featuring more than 19 researchers and leading experts in the field of Central Asian and Eurasian research. This collection is a reference book not just for scientists studying different aspects of Central Asia, but also for researchers from other spheres who want to expand their focus to Central Asia.

'The Political Role of Clans in Central Asia' by Kathleen Collins

Why didn't ethnic, national and religious identities result in violent conflicts in Central Asia? Why and when do some identities become more important than others? Though identity was defined as a critical variable in post-communist transits, few researchers have studied the social origins of identity or wondered how identity influenced the stability or conflicts of the transition period. In Central Asian countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, clan networks contribute to social stability and deter ethnonational and religious conflicts. However, clans also define directions of faults, instability and conflicts.