A general anthropological introduction to the societies and cultures
of the contemporary Muslim successor states of former Soviet Central
Asia and the adjacent areas of Iran and Afghanistan --i.e., western
Turkistan. Topics include ecology, ethnohistory and the structure of
traditional subsistence strategies (nomadic pastoralism, sedentary
farming, and urban mercantilism); forms of marriage, family, kinship,
gender relations, identities and organization; religious beliefs and
practices; and the assessment of socio-economic change and recent
political transformations experienced by the peoples of this region
under the colonial rules of tsarist and Soviet Russia, and the modern
nation states of Iran and Afghanistan. The consequences of war on
terrorism, volatile sociopolitical conditions and future prospects for
the peoples of this region will be also critically examined. No
special knowledge of the region on the part of students is presumed.
However, a background in general anthropology would be helpful, but
not essential. The course will consist of lectures, reading
assignments, film and slide presentations and class discussions.

Required Texts (some titles may vary):

Bacon, Elizabeth  Central Asia Under Russian Rule: A Study in Culture
Change. Ithaca: Cornell U. Press (1980)
Rashid, Ahmed  The Resurgence of Central Asia:Islam or Nationalism?
(1994)
Schimmel, Annemarie  Islam: An Introduction. Albany, N.Y.:SUNY Press
(1992)
Shahrani, M. Nazif  The Kirghiz and Wakhi of Afghanistan: Adaptation
to Closed Frontiers and War.  Seattle: University of Washington
Press (2002)
Shalinsky, Audrey  Long Years of Exile: Central Asian Refugees in
Afghanistan and Pakistan. New York: University Press of America,
Inc. (1994)

Course Requirement:

A. Undergraduate students course grades will be based on:

Mid-Term=30% of course grade
Final exam=45% of course grade
An eight page (double-spaced typed) critical comparative written
review of two or three ethnographic case studies = 20% of the course
grade.
Participation in class discussion = 5% of the course grade.
All examinations will be in class and essay type.

B. Graduate Students are expected to submit a term paper in addition
to taking the exams. For graduate students course grades will be based
on mid-term and final Examination (worth 60% of the course grade).