Description
Book SynopsisDispels the myths surrounding the history of steppe societies and proposes a fresh understanding of the nature and formation of the state. Drawing on his extensive anthropological fieldwork in the region, the author persuasively challenges the legitimacy of the tribal model, which continues to distort scholarship on the history of Inner Asia.
Trade ReviewA study rich in both historical fact and linguistic analysis... Highly recommended. Choice The author presents intelligent, clearly writtenarguments, disagreement with which should callfor serious reflection. -- Daniel Prior Journal of the Royal Anthropological institute
Table of ContentsMaps 1. Introduction 2. The Myth of the Kinship Society: Evolutionism and the Anthropological Imagination 3. The Imaginary Tribe: Colonial and Imperial Orders and the Peripheral Polity 4. The State Construction of the Clan: The Unilineal Descent Group and the Ordering of State Subjects 5. The Essentialized Nomad: Neocolonial and Soviet Models 6. Creating Peoples: Nation-state History and the Notion of Identity 7. The Headless State: Aristocratic Orders and the Substrata of Power Notes References Acknowledgments Index
