{"product_id":"tribal-nation-the-making-of-soviet-turkmenistan-paperback","title":"Tribal Nation: The Making of Soviet Turkmenistan - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAdrienne Lynn Edgar\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn October 27, 1991, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic declared its independence from the Soviet Union. Hammer and sickle gave way to a flag, a national anthem, and new holidays. Seven decades earlier, Turkmenistan had been a stateless conglomeration of tribes. What brought about this remarkable transformation? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eTribal Nation\u003c\/i\u003e addresses this question by examining the Soviet effort in the 1920s and 1930s to create a modern, socialist nation in the Central Asian Republic of Turkmenistan. Adrienne Edgar argues that the recent focus on the Soviet state as a \"maker of nations\" overlooks another vital factor in Turkmen nationhood: the complex interaction between Soviet policies and indigenous notions of identity. In particular, the genealogical ideas that defined premodern Turkmen identity were reshaped by Soviet territorial and linguistic ideas of nationhood. The Soviet desire to construct socialist modernity in Turkmenistan conflicted with Moscow's policy of promoting nationhood, since many Turkmen viewed their \"backward customs\" as central to Turkmen identity. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eTribal Nation\u003c\/i\u003e is the first book in any Western language on Soviet Turkmenistan, the first to use both archival and indigenous-language sources to analyze Soviet nation-making in Central Asia, and among the few works to examine the Soviet multinational state from a non-Russian perspective. By investigating Soviet nation-making in one of the most poorly understood regions of the Soviet Union, it also sheds light on broader questions about nationalism and colonialism in the twentieth century.\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis 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\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"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\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"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.\"\u003cb\u003e--Ronald Suny, University of Chicago, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Soviet Experiment: Russia, the USSR, and the Successor States\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"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, \u003ci\u003eTribal Nation\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\"\u003cb\u003e--Adeeb Khalid, Carleton College, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Politics of Muslim Cultural Reform: Jadidism in Central Asia\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAdrienne Lynn Edgar\u003c\/b\u003e is Associate Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She was formerly an editor of \u003ci\u003eWorld Policy Journal\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 320\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.72 x 9.28 x 6.08 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 25, 2006\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42132361019527,"sku":"9780691127996","price":76.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/1d28223bc209d38ec549c8f41feb7fcd.webp?v=1732625890","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/tribal-nation-the-making-of-soviet-turkmenistan-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}