After the USSR: Ethnicity, Nationalism, and Politics in the Commonwealth of Independent States [Hardcover]

Anatoly M. Khazanov (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1996

 A world-renowned anthropologist, Anatoly M. Khazanov offers a witty, insightful, and cautionary analysis of ethnic nationalism and its pivotal role in the collapse of the Soviet empire.
    “Khazanov’s encyclopedic knowledge of the history and culture of post-Soviet societies, combined with field research there since the 1960s, informs the case studies with a singular authoritative voice. This volume is destined to be an absolutely necessary reference for the understanding of ethnic relations and the politics of minorities in the ex-USSR into the next century.”—Leonard Plotnicov, editor of Ethnology

First Paperback Edition

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A major book from one of the greatest social scientists now at work.”—John A. Hall, author of Powers and Liberties

About the Author

Anatoly M. Khazanov is professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was formerly professor of social anthropology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and a senior scholar at the Soviet Institute of Ethnography and Anthropology. A Fellow of the British Academy and a 1993–94 Guggenheim Fellow, he is the author of Nomads and the Outside World, published by the University of Wisconsin Press, as well as nine other books.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press; 1St Edition edition (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0299148904
• ISBN-13: 978-0299148904
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,647,103 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic review of the former Soviet Union., May 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: After the USSR: Ethnicity, Nationalism, and Politics in the Commonwealth of Independent States (Hardcover)

This book gives an fantastic insight to the recent ethnic wars that followed by the break-up of the Soviet Union. The book also gives us a sobering view that the breakaway republic conflicts against Russia will continue into the near future.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Continuities of empire, April 9, 2004

By 

Alexander D. King "Anthropological Linguist" (Aberdeen, Scotland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: After the USSR: Ethnicity, Nationalism, and Politics in the Commonwealth of Independent States (Hardcover)

In this very readable book, Khazanov argues that the Soviet Union was essentially a continuation of the Russian Empire, retarding the north Eurasian continent's normal process of modernization. The failure of Soviet "nationalities' policy" directly contributed to the breakup in 1991 and continuing ethnic tensions in many regions. Drawing upon meticulous research, he shows how the after-effects of totalitarianism in the Soviet Union, where economy and polity were coupled in a centralized administration, make the transition to democratic politics and market economics a more difficult path than most analysts have predicted. Although one may not agree with his theory of nationalism and modernity, Khazanov synthesizes a wealth of data into a provocative discussion of the variable of ethnicity in local politics and national policy in Central Asia, Siberia, and the Caucusas. Many historians, political scientists, anthropologists, and others will find this book very useful.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellant fieldwork makes the difference, October 22, 2000

By 

"ladyfalcone" - See all my reviews

This review is from: After the U.S.S.R.: Ethnicity, Nationalism, and Politics in the Commonwealth of Independent States (Paperback)

Though some of the statistics used in the appendix were outdated when this book was publised, this book is well worth the cost and the time to read it. A different perspective is presented, made, at least in part, possible due to the amount of time and fieldwork that the author was able to use in writing this book. The point is well made that the situation in many of the former Soviet republics was far more complex at the time this book was written than many thought. This was true in 1995, and remains so today.

Written in 1995, a lot of the details are now outdated, especially political. However, the same trends and underlying causes remain, which makes this book an excellant one if one is seeking to understand the background for the regions discussed in this book.