Hopefully one day scholars of Central Asia will have access to the same kinds of online indices and databases of periodicals that exist for people who study other parts of the world. Until that time, making use of the source material in the Turkic-language press of the Russian Empire requires leafing slowly through copies held in only a few libraries in Russia or Central Asia, or spending large amounts of time in front of a microfilm reader. In the course of my research I have had experience of both. To make things slightly easier for future researchers with similar interests, I make my bibliographic notes available here. This is a list of articles relating to Chinese Muslims, Xinjiang, and the Uyghur diaspora in Russian Turkistan, primarily Semireche, in pre-revolutionary periodicals published in Turkic-speaking parts of Russian Empire. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: October 2011
The return of the return of the Torghud
DJB
Reposted from the China Heritage Quarterly.
The last decade has seen a lot of new anniversaries cropping up in Central Asia. Newly independent republics such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have swapped old Soviet holidays for new, nationally specific events, often dedicated to demonstrating the antiquity of the nations concerned. In 2007 Samarkand celebrated its 2750th birthday, and in 2009 Tashkent turned 2200. This year, along with the centennial of the Mongolian declaration of independence, Mongolians will mark the 2220th anniversary of the founding of the Xiongnu 匈奴 empire. Continue reading
Republished books on Republican Xinjiang
Two books have been republished recently that will be of interest to scholars of Xinjiang in the Republic:
- Kadirî, Polat. Baturlar (Ülke tarihi): Doğu Türkistan Millî Mücadele Tarihi (1930-1949). Edited by Ömer Kul. Ankara: Berikan Yayinevi, 2009.
- Forbes, Andrew D. W. Warlords and Muslims in Chinese Central Asia: A Political History of Republican Sinkiang 1911-1949. 2nd ed. Bangkok: White Lotus, 2010.
