Central Asia. From Imperial Conquests to the Present. Adeeb Khalid

Central Asia: From Imperial Conquest to the Present is a sweeping historical study that spans two centuries of profound political, social, and cultural transformations in a region that has long remained on the periphery of global narratives. Historian Adeeb Khalid shatters stereotypes about an “isolated” or “backward” Central Asia, showing it as a dynamic and closely connected part of the world.

We are transported from the Russian and Chinese imperial conquests of the 19th century to Soviet experiments, decolonization, and independence in the post-Soviet period. The author analyzes how Central Asia has reinvented itself time and again: from Islamic modernism to Soviet social engineering, from ethnic nation-building to modern authoritarianism.