Author Description
With The End Of The Soviet Union In 1991, A Major Turning Point In All Former Soviet Republics, Central Asian And Caucasian Countries Began To Reflect On Their History And Identities. As A Consequence Of Their Opening Up To The Global Exchange Of Ideas, Various Strains Of Islam And Trends In Islamic Thought Have Nourished The Islamic Revival That Had Already Started In The Context Of Glasnost And Perestroika--from Turkey, Iran, The Arabian Peninsula, And From The Indian Subcontinent; The Four Regions With Strong Ties To Central Asian And Caucasian Islam In The Years Before Soviet Occupation. Bayram Balci Seeks To Analyse How These New Islamic Influences Have Reached Local Societies And How They Have Interacted With Pre-existing Religious Belief And Practice. Combining Exceptional Erudition With Rare First-hand Research, Balci's Book Provides A Sophisticated Account Of Both The Internal Dynamics And External Influences In The Evolution Of Islam In The Region.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates how the collapse of the Soviet Union facilitated a complex religious revival in Central Asia and the Caucasus through the influx of diverse international Islamic influences. Bayram Balci, a scholar specializing in the geopolitics of the region, utilizes extensive field research and historical analysis to examine the intersection of local traditions and foreign religious movements. He argues that the post-1991 opening of these borders allowed for a significant re-engagement with Islamic thought from Turkey, Iran, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Indian subcontinent, fundamentally altering the religious landscape.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of the post-Soviet religious revival starting from the Glasnost and Perestroika eras.
- Examination of the four primary external sources of Islamic influence: Turkey, Iran, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Indian subcontinent.
- Case studies on the interaction between imported Islamic ideologies and indigenous religious practices.
Scope Limits
- The text focuses primarily on the period following 1991 and does not provide an exhaustive history of pre-Soviet Islamic practices.
- The analysis is limited to the specific geopolitical regions of Central Asia and the Caucasus.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of post-Soviet religious dynamics due to its reliance on rare, first-hand field research. Readers frequently note the academic rigor of the prose, which provides a balanced view of both internal societal shifts and external ideological pressures.
Page Count:
260
Publication Date:
2018-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190050195
ISBN-13:
9780190050191
History
Religion
Islamic Studies
Central Asia
Caucasus
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