Culture and Customs of the Central Asian Republics

Front Cover
Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2006 M12 30 - 324 pages
The Central Asian Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan won their independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Now they are emerging from the shadow of dominance and are subjects of intense interest from the West. The modern culture and customs of the various peoples in these geopolitical hotspots, straddling the far reaches of Europe into Asia, are revealed to a general audience for the first time. This will be the must-have volume for a broad, authoritative overview of these traditional civilizations as they cope with globalization.
 

Contents

Land People and History
1
2 Thought and Religion
59
3 Folklore and Literature
79
4 Media and Cinema
105
5 Performing Arts
133
6 Visual Arts
163
7 Architecture
191
8 Gender Courtship and Marriage
213
9 Festivals Fun and Leisure
233
Glossary
257
Selected Bibliography
263
Index
279
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2006)

RAFIS ABAZOV is Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of International and Public Affairs/Harriman Institute, Columbia University. He has written four books, including the Historical Dictionary of Kyrgyzstan and the Historical Dictionary of Turkmenistan.

Bibliographic information