PUBL.- Russian Rule in Samarkand, 1868-1910 - A. S. Morrison
Posted by: Alexander Morrison <a.s.morrison@liverpool.ac.uk>
A. S. Morrison
Russian Rule in Samarkand 1868-1910. A Comparison with British India
(Oxford University Press) 2008
Price: £60.00/$120 (Hardback)
ISBN-13: 978-0-19-954737-1
Publication date: 11 September 2008
364 pages, 3 maps, 7 b/w halftones, 216x138 mm
Series: Oxford Historical Monographs
http://www.oup.com/uk/catalogue/?ci=9780199547371
http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/HistoryWorld/RussiaForme
rSovietUnion/?view=usa&ci=9780199547371 (paste URL to a single line)
"Russian Rule in Samarkand" uses a comparative approach to examine the
structures, personnel, and ideologies of Russian imperialism in
Turkestan, taking Samarkand and the surrounding region as a
case-study. The creation of a colonial administration in Central Asia
presented Russia with similar problems to those faced by the British
in India, but different approaches to governance meant that the two
regimes often stood in stark contrast to one another, although there
were certain points of resemblance.
Opening with the background to the political situation in Central Asia
before 1865 and a narrative of Russian conquest itself, the book moves
on to analyse official attitudes to Islam and to pre-colonial elites,
and the earliest attempts to establish a functioning system of revenue
collection. Uncovering the religious and ethnic composition of the
military bureaucracy, and the social background, education and
training of its personnel, Alexander Morrison assesses the competence
of these officers vis-à-vis their Anglo-Indian counterparts.
Subsequent chapters look at the role of the so-called "native
administration" in governing the countryside and collecting taxes, the
attempt to administer the complex systems of irrigation leading from
the Zarafshan and Syr-Darya, and the nature and functions of the
Islamic judiciary under colonial rule.
Based on extensive archival research in Uzbekistan, Russia, India, and
containing much rare source material translated from Russian, "Russian
Rule in Samarkand" will be of interest to those working on the history
of Central Asia, the Russian Empire, and European Imperialism more
generally.
A list of errata, higher-resolution copies of the maps from the book,
and the Russian text of the sources quoted will be available at the
following url:
http://liverpool.academia.edu/AlexanderMorrison/Books
Dr Alexander Morrison
Lecturer in Imperial History
The School of History
University of Liverpool
9 Abercromby Square
Liverpool L69 7WZ
Tel: +44 151 794 2392
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