Tribal Nation: The Making of Soviet Turkmenistan Paperback - 2006

First line

HASH(0x1111da10)

From the rear cover

"This is a beautifully written, extremely well researched, and very well argued investigation of nation-making in Soviet Central Asia. Edgar's work goes much further than that of many of her contemporaries and moves in an important new direction. Rather than simply look out from Moscow, from the top down, she begins from Turkmenistan, from the local, and argues that the actual shapes that nations took were the result of a complex negotiation between local traditions and the plans of the Soviets themselves. This is an extraordinarily important refinement of the existing literature."--Ronald Suny, University of Chicago, author of "The Soviet Experiment: Russia, the USSR, and the Successor States

"An excellent book. Edgar tackles a big topic with great finesse. She does so in very accessible prose that conveys complex ideas without any jargon. In terms of scope and quality, "Tribal Nation ranks among the best historical scholarship in the Russian/Soviet sphere. The making of Soviet Turkmenistan, and the Soviet regime's attempt to build modern socialism through massive intervention in society, is a topic of enormous interest. The book is solidly based on archival research, and displays wonderful mastery of detail."--Adeeb Khalid, Carleton College, author of "The Politics of Muslim Cultural Reform: Jadidism in Central Asia

From the jacket flap

"This is a beautifully written, extremely well researched, and very well argued investigation of nation-making in Soviet Central Asia. Edgar's work goes much further than that of many of her contemporaries and moves in an important new direction. Rather than simply look out from Moscow, from the top down, she begins from Turkmenistan, from the local, and argues that the actual shapes that nations took were the result of a complex negotiation between local traditions and the plans of the Soviets themselves. This is an extraordinarily important refinement of the existing literature."--Ronald Suny, University of Chicago, author of "The Soviet Experiment: Russia, the USSR, and the Successor States

"An excellent book. Edgar tackles a big topic with great finesse. She does so in very accessible prose that conveys complex ideas without any jargon. In terms of scope and quality, "Tribal Nation ranks among the best historical scholarship in the Russian/Soviet sphere. The making of Soviet Turkmenistan, and the Soviet regime's attempt to build modern socialism through massive intervention in society, is a topic of enormous interest. The book is solidly based on archival research, and displays wonderful mastery of detail."--Adeeb Khalid, Carleton College, author of "The Politics of Muslim Cultural Reform: Jadidism in Central Asia