A History of the Tajiks: Iranians of the East

by Richard Foltz

Overview

In this comprehensive and up to date history, from prehistoric proto-Indo-Iranian times to the post-Soviet period, Richard Foltz traces the complex linguistic, cultural and political history of the Tajiks, a Persian-speaking Iranian ethnic group from the modern-day Central Asian states of Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan. In eight chapters, the author explores the revitalisation of Persian culture under the Samanid Empire in the Tajik heartlands of historical Khorasan and Transoxiana; analyses the evolution of the politics of Tajik identity; and traces the history of the ethnic Tajik diaspora today.

This revised edition includes a new chapter on the Tajiks' situation in Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan since 2018, covering notably the effects of the Taliban's returban to power in August 2021 and the COVID pandemic in all three countries, as well as border clashes with Kyrgyzstan.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780755649655
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/13/2023
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	6.15(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.85(d)

About the Author

Richard Foltz is Professor of Religions and Cultures at Concordia University, Canada. He is the author of a number of titles on Iranian and Central Asian history, culture and religion including Iran in World History, Religions of Iran and Religions of the Silk Road.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface
Preface to the second edition
Acknowledgments
Historical Timeline
A Note on Transliteration

Introduction: Who are the Tajiks?
1 The Prehistory of Central Asia
2 Sogdians and Bactrians
3 The Samanid Empire and the New Persian Renaissance
4 Tajiks and Turks
5 The Soviet Period
6 The Republic of Tajikistan
7 Tajiks in Uzbekistan
Excursus: Afghanistan at a Stone's Throw
Conclusion: Differing Contexts, Manifold Challenges

Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

The book will be an indispensable academic resource for anyone interested in Iranian or Central Asian studies ... Given the depth of its research and the strengths of its arguments, it remains the key text on Tajik politics and history to date.” —Europe-Asia Studies

“An informative introduction to an important subject that has been ill-served both in history and in scholarship.” —Daniel Beben, Central Asian Survey

“This engagingly written, excellent new history of the Tajik people is an outstanding achievement.” —Rustam Shukurov, Professor of History, Moscow State University, Russia

From the Publisher