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Product Information

This book is a study of the role of clan networks in Central Asia from the early twentieth century through 2004. Exploring the social, economic, and historical roots of clans, and their political role and political transformation in the Soviet and post-Soviet periods, it argues that clans are informal political actors that are critical to understanding politics in this region. The book demonstrates that the Soviet system was far less successful in transforming and controlling Central Asian society, and in its policy of eradicating clan identities, than has often been assumed. In order to understand Central Asian politics and their economies, scholars and policy makers must take into account the powerful role of these informal groups, how they adapt and change over time, and how they may constrain or undermine democratization in this strategic region.

Product Identifiers

PublisherCambridge University Press

ISBN-100521114667

ISBN-139780521114660

eBay Product ID (ePID)72516333

Product Key Features

Number of Pages400 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication NameClan Politics and Regime Transition in Central Asia

Publication Year2009

SubjectAsia / Central Asia, Sociology / General, International Relations / General, General, Anthropology / General, World / Asian

TypeTextbook

Subject AreaHistory, Social Science, Political Science

AuthorKathleen Collins

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height0.9 in

Item Weight20.8 Oz

Item Length9 in

Item Width6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceScholarly & Professional

Dewey Edition22

Reviews"Clan Politics and Regime Transition in Central Asia is a stunning piece of scholarship on regime transformation. It is, by far, the best work to date on the dynamics of Central Asia's weak states. Collin's empirical research is impeccable and based on an array of sources gathered during three years of fieldwork. She buttresses every point, large and small, with on-the-ground interview material, ethnographic data, and well-considered secondary accounts. One can only hope that her attention to empirical detail will become the new standard among scholars of comparative politics. This is an empirically rich and theoretically stimulating book that deserves to be read adn deeply considered, by anyone who cares about Central Asia or the phenomenon of weak states." - Edward Schatz, University of Toronto The Russian Review, "...should be welcomed by all scholars of contemporary Central Asia for their detailed and comparative description of the politics of independence in these three republics." --Marianne Kamp, University of Wyoming, Journal of Interdisciplinary History, "The author is to be commended for seeking to reorient comparative politics toward the study of informal relations and politics and for her attention to Central Asia's pre-transition history. The book is stimulating." Sada Aksartova, Japanese Journal of Political Science, "...should be welcomed by all scholars of contemporary Central Asia for their detailed and comparative description of the politics of independence in these three republics." --Marianne Kamp, University of Wyoming: Journal of Interdisciplinary History

IllustratedYes

Dewey Decimal929.60958

Lc Classification NumberGn487.7.C55c65 2009

Table of ContentList of Tables and Figures; Preface; Acknowledgements; Note on Transliteration; 1. An introduction to political development and transition in Central Asia; 2. Clan politics and regime transition in Central Asia: a framework for understanding politics in clan-based societies; 3. Colonialism to Stalinism: the dynamic between clans and the State; 4. The informal politics of Central Asia from Brezhnev through Gorbachev; 5. Transition from above or below? (1990-1991); 6. Central Asia's transition (1991-1995); 7. Central Asia's regime transformation (1995-2004): Part I; 8. Central Asia's regime transformation (1995-2004): Part II; 9. Positive and negative political trajectories in clan-based societies; 10. Conclusion; Epilogue; Appendix; Index.