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Politics of Language in the Ex-Soviet Muslim States offers a unique and timely analysis of language policies in the central Asian states of the former Soviet Union. The authors relate these policies to broad issues such as nation-building, language planning, and multilingualism. The book is a comprehensive survey of language policy in the five newly independent states with largely Turkic-speaking populations and in the Tajic republic, with its mainly Iranian-speaking population. It addresses each state's consideration over how the use of Russian--widespread as a second language among the Turkic-speaking peoples and known as a first language for Soviet-era immigrants regardless of ethnicity--should relate to use of the local varieties of Turkic or Iranian. It also addresses efforts in each state to elaborate the local variety of Turkic or Iranian for use as public discourse in administration, law, business, and politics, including teaching the language to its nominal speakers, and considers the relation between these languages and those of local ethnic minorities. The authors utilize previously unpublished empirical data, which is presented in both a clear narrative and conceptual framework.
Jacob M. Landau is Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Barbara Kellner-Heinkele is Professor of Turkic Studies, Free University of Berlin.
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This digital document is an article from Russian Life, published by Russian Information Services, Inc. on September 1, 2010. The length of the article is 2908 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: By the Shores of Issyk-Kul: Nikolai Przhevalsky in Kyrgyzstan.
Author: Laurence Mitchell
Publication: Russian Life (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2010
Publisher: Russian Information Services, Inc.
Volume: 53Issue: 5Page: 34(7)

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This book explores the conceptions of genealogy, kinship and 'tribalism' in the intertwined construction of personhood and national identity in the Kyrgyz Republic. It makes an important contribution to several theoretical and regional debates. First, it engages with broader anthropological literature. Genealogy, a central theme of the work, is explored not only as an analysis of relationships, but also as a methodological tool through which to examine society. Second, the book contributes to theories of kinship and the state. Research provides detailed accounts of Soviet and post-Soviet transformations, and their influence on people's everyday lives. Third, the book fills a gap in Central/InnerAsian literature by focusing on social relations during a period of political upheaval. ... Read more

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Greg Child tells the true story of four climbers kidnapped by Islamic guerrillas in the mountains of Central Asia and their daring escape. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

AN ADVENTURE TO REMEMBER...
This is the true story of four young Americans, three men and one woman, who in August of 2000 ventured into Kyrgyzstan in order to rock climb in the Pamir-Alai mountain range. On August 11, 2000, while climbing, they would suddenly find themselves the target of sniper fire. After their descent, they would find themselves taken at gunpoint and held hostage by young Islamic fundamentalists of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. They would join a Kyrgyz soldier whom the militants had already taken prisoner.

The next six days would prove to be harrowing ones for these climbers, who would be marched through the rugged terrain of the mountains with little food and water and constant threat of execution at the hands of their heavily armed captors. They would eventually see the their fellow captive, the Kyrgyz soldier with whom they had bonded, executed. With nothing to lose, they would be forced to make a life or death decision that was to cause them much angst but would allow for an escape.

The author's somewhat dry chronicle of these startling pre-9/11 events, looking back in hindsight, now seem to paint a much more evil and sinister global portent. The story is multifaceted in that the author grounds what happened to these climbers in aglobal context, giving the historical backdrop and political dynamics of the area.

The author fully lays out the media circus that enveloped the climbers upon their return to the United States. He also found himself becoming part of the story, as exclusivity and certain monetary arrangements he had made with the climbers threatened to dominate the story and cast a pall over the veracity of all.

The author also chronicles out the secret pact that the climbers had made over the agonizing decision one of them had reached in order to effect their escape. It was a decision that they believed had led to the death of the captor who had been entrusted with keeping them captive.

The media circus around what had happened to them turned decidedly ugly when it was discovered that this captor was still alive and under arrest. What he had to say would then throw the media into a further tailspin. Thanks to the power of television, however, a Dateline NBC interview with the captor at the heart of the storm of the controversy would finally put to rest some of the unsavory portions of this true life adventure.

What really stands out in the book is the naivete and ignorance of the climbers about the part of the world in which they were traveling. Notwithstanding the fact that none of them seemed to be particularly bright, they had done very little in terms of research into the area before traveling there, nor had they heeded State Department advisories about the area. The climbers, in large part, remain somewhat of an enigma and, as such, the reader finds oneself caring very little about them.

This news saga originally appeared as a gripping article in "Outside" magazine. I had the good fortune to have read it and was transfixed by what had happened. I do not recall who wrote the article, though it was most likely Greg Child. In writing this book, however, he seems to have sucked the life out of the story. While still worth reading, it is an adventure story utterly devoid of passion. The author has managed to suck the life out of what should have been an adventure to remember. ... Read more

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This book is dedicated to Israel Gohberg on occasion of his 80th birthday on August 23, 2008. It is an expression of esteem and friendship for a great mathematician, a remarkable person and an inspiring colleague. The book contains reflections by Gohberg himself on his own mathematical activities and those of others. It also includes contributions of colleagues and co-workers, both from his time in the Soviet Union and from when he lived and worked in the West. The contributions in question are not mathematical research papers but focus on the man Israel Gohberg and are intended for a wide audience. To be found are letters, speeches, laudatios and reminiscences which, together, present an attractive picture of the way in which Israel Gohberg in the past four to five decades influenced the lives of many mathematicians. Biographical material such as a curriculum vitae, a list of publications, a list of Ph.D. students and information about honorary doctoral degrees is also included.

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The 2010Kyrgyzstan crisis began in April 2010 with theousting of Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev in the capital Bishkek. It was followed by increased ethnictension involving the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in the south ofthe country, which escalated in June 2010. ... Read more

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Chapters: Fergana Valley, Alay Valley, Kara-Suu. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 23. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The Fergana Valley or Farghana Valley (Uzbek: , Kyrgyz: , IPA: , , Russian: , Persian: ) is a region in Central Asia spreading across eastern Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Confluence of Naryn and Kara Darya seen from space (false color). Many irrigated agricultural fields can be seen.The most important part of the province is a rich and fertile valley, in an altitude of 1200 to 1,500 ft (457 m) (400 to 500 m), opening towards the southwest. The valley owes its fertility to two rivers, the Naryn and the Kara Darya, which unite in the valley, near Namangan, to form the Syr Darya. Numerous other tributaries of these rivers exist in the valley including the Sokh River. The streams, and their numerous mountain effluents, not only supply water for irrigation, but also bring down vast quantities of sand, which is deposited alongside their courses, more especially alongside the Syr Darya where it cuts its way through the Khojent-Ajar ridge, forming there the Karakchikum. This expanse of moving sands, covering an area of 750 mi², under the influence of south-west winds, encroaches upon the agricultural districts. The Fergana Valley is a very big open wide space that is very good for farming. It is home to many cattle, and is all green. This valley is a very beautiful place and is very good for vacation. It is located in Kyrgyzstan. The smallest "stan" out of the five. The central part of the geological depression that forms the valley is characterized by block subsidence, originally to depths estimated at 6-7 km (4 mi), largely filled with sediments that range in age as far as the Permian-Triassic boundary. Some of the sediments are marine carbonates and clays. The...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=334903 ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 4172 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Comprehensive and written clearly, the Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations features consistent coverage of all countries while allowingfor easy comparison on the different nations of the world. ... Read more

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The present edition traces the history of Kyrgyzstan through an original and thorough study of numismatic finds, most of which have not been published before. Many coin types represented in the album are introduced into scientific use for the first time, considerably extending our comprehension of monetary relations in the territory of Kyrgyzstan. The statistic analysis of numismatic finds unearthed over the latest years has allowed drawing a conclusion of certain oriental influence upon the earliest money circulation in Semirechye and discovering a series of the local imitations of Chinese coins. However, the chronological sequence of now available coin types still needs a specification. Scholarly opinions of prominent founders of Central Asian numismatics, presented in the intelligible manner, alternate with recent discoveries of modern scientists made in this area. The simplicity and clarity of narration makes it easy for everyone, so it will be surely interesting for the general reading audience - students, high school teachers, tourists, coin collectors and all those who take interest in the history of Kyrgyzstan. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 11766 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Presents easy-to-understand information on 200 countries and dependencies from around the world. Entries discuss a variety of topics in detail, from banking and securities to climate, from government data to demographic statistics. Also includes biographical essays on national leaders. ... Read more

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Examines the transition Central Asia underwent in the twentieth century following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Soviet colonial legacy and the attempts of new states to build secular states within the radical Islamic world. ... Read more

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A volume in International Perspectives on Educational Policy, Research and Practice

Series Editor: Kathryn M. Borman, University of South Florida

This is a book about four rural secondary schools of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, a newly independent Central Asianstate of the former USSR. Utilizing case study methods, we describe and discuss how teachers, administrators and studentsare attempting to survive the proclaimed "transition" to democracy and a market economy within their particular schools andcommunities. We view this work primarily as a cultural study of schools and school life, not a work about the national educationsystem. There is in fact a growing volume of other writings on issues and problems in education in Central Asia, some ofwhich we have ourselves contributed to. The focus in this study, however, involves school, individual, and group lives anddynamics in and around the four village schools we studied during 2004 and 2005.

Two of the four schools are in Chui Oblast; one in Naryn Oblast, and one in Batken Oblast. One Chui school lieswithin an economically and demographically stable community by Kyrgyz standards; the other school faces more serious economicand migratory issues. Our Naryn school is located in an isolated livestock-breeding region of Kyrgyzstan high in theTien Shan mountains near China. Finally, we describe community and school situations in an agricultural community in thesouth that is characterized by considerable poverty-driven labor migration. Our work involved schools in the small town ofShopokov, and the villages of Tash Dobo, At-Bashy and Ak-Tatyr. These are all actual places on the map of Kyrgyzstan – ifyour map is detailed enough. In several cases, nearby smaller schools are also discussed as they relate to our primary institutions. ... Read more

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This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: John Murray, Albemarle Street in 1863 in 390 pages; Subjects: War stories; Fiction / War & Military; History / Asia / General; History / Europe / Russia & the Former Soviet Union; Travel / Asia / General; Travel / Asia / Southeast; Travel / Essays & Travelogues; Travel / Russia; ... Read more