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The central argument of this book is that the half-century of Russian rule in Central Asia was shaped by traditions of authoritarian rule, by Russian national interests, and by a civic reform agenda that brought to Turkestan the principles that informed Alexander II's reform policies. This civilizing mission sought to lay the foundations for a rejuvenated, 'modern' empire, unified by imperial citizenship, patriotism, and a shared secular culture. Evidence for Brower's thesis is drawn from major archives in Uzbekistan and Russia. Use of these records permitted him to develop the first interpretation, either in Russian or Western literature, of Russian colonialism in Turkestan that draws on the extensive archival evidence of policy-making, imperial objectives, and relations with subject peoples.
List of contents
Preface Maps Illustrations Part I: Russian Turkestan and the Revolt of 1916 1. Judgments on a Flawed Imperial Undertaking 2. Visions of Imperial Integration 3. Colonial Uniqueness and Authoritarian Rule Part II: Constructing Russia's New Colony 1. Creating Colonial Turkestan 2. Kaufman's Colonial Plans 3. Colonial Knowledge of Turkestan Part III: The Colony in the Empire 1. Civil Order and the Statute of 1886 2. Language Politics and Cultural Missionaries 3. Colonial Profits and Productivity Part IV: Islam in Russian Turkestan 1. Colonial Conflict and Islam 2. Turkestan in a New Civilization 3. Resurgent Popular Islam Part V: The Making of a Settler Colony 1. Plans for Settler-Soldiers 2. Pioneers and Nomads 3. Colonization and the Empire Part VI: Turkestan and the Fall of the Russian Empire 1. War and Colonial Crisis 2. Colonial Collapse Epilogue: The Colonial Dilemma Resolved Select Bibliography Index
About the author
Daniel Brower ia a Professor of History at the University of California - Davis. His research has centred on the social and political history of the Russian Empire.
Summary
The central argument of this book is that the half-century of Russian rule in Central Asia was shaped by traditions of authoritarian rule.
