Central Asia: From the Age of Empires to the Present Day

Central Asia is still often perceived as a remote territory, located "on the periphery" of modern history. But in reality, this region, which includes Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, as well as the Chinese province of Xinjiang, stands at the crossroads of world events. Adib Khalid presents the first comprehensive history of Central Asia from the mid-18th century to the present day. After the 1700s, the peoples of the region came under the control of Russia and China. The American historian of Pakistani descent, Khalid shows how foreign conquests involved the inhabitants of Central Asia in a global exchange of goods and ideas and led to the establishment of closer ties with the rest of the world. The focus of his research is also on how the conquering empires, and later the communist states of the USSR and the PRC, dealt with the ethnic diversity of the region, with its inherent national and cultural differences, as well as how historical forces and trends, from colonialism and social revolutions to nationalism and state modernization policies, shaped the modern face of Central Asia.