Eurasian Crossroads : A History of Xinjiang

by Millward, James A.

• ISBN13: 9780231139250
• ISBN10: 023113925X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-08-01
• Publisher: Columbia Univ Pr

Summary

Eurasian Crossroads is the first comprehensivehistory of Xinjiang, the vast central Eurasian region bordering India, Pakistan,Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia. Formingone-sixth of the People's Republic of China (PRC), Xinjiang stands at the crossroadsbetween China, India, the Mediterranean, and Russia and has, since the Bronze Age,played a pivotal role in the social, cultural, and political development of Asia andthe world.Xinjiang was once the hub of the Silk Road and theconduit through which Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam entered China. It was alsothe point at which the Chinese, Turkic, Tibetan, and Mongolian empires communicatedand struggled with one another. Xinjiang's population comprises Kazakhs, Kirghiz,and Uighurs, all Turkic Muslim peoples, as well as Han Chinese, and competingChinese and Turkic nationalist visions continue to threaten the region's politicaland economic stability. Besides separatist concerns, Xinjiang's energy resources,strategic position, and rapid development have gained it international attention inrecent decades.Drawing on primary sources in several Asian andEuropean languages, James Millward presents a thorough study of Xinjiang's historyand people from antiquity to the present and takes a balanced look at the positionof Turkic Muslims within the PRC today. While offering fresh material andperspectives for specialists, this engaging survey of Xinjiang's rich environmental,cultural, and ethno-political heritage is also written for travelers, students, andanyone eager to learn about this vital connector between East andWest.

Author Biography

James A. Millward is professor of intersocietal history at the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. He specializes in the history of China and Central Eurasia, including Xinjiang. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, a journalist, and two daughters.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements	p. ix
Ancient Encounters (earliest times-8th century)	p. 1
Central Eurasia Ascendant (9th-16th centuries)	p. 40
Between Islam and China (16th-19th centuries)	p. 78
Between Empire and Nation (late 19th-early 20th century)	p. 124
Between China and the Soviet Union (1910s-1940s)	p. 178
In the People's Republic of China (1950s-1980s)	p. 235
Between China and the World (1990s-2000s)	p. 285
Conclusion: Balancing Acts	p. 356
Appendix: Xinjiang Historical Timeline	p. 373
General Bibliography	p. 383
Index	p. 413
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