Ilhan Niaz - Old World Empires: Cultures of Power and Governance in Eurasia

This book is a sweeping historical survey of the origins, development and nature of state power. It demonstrates that Eurasia is home to a dominant tradition of arbitrary rule mediated through military, civil and ecclesiastical servants and a marginal tradition of representative and responsible government through autonomous institutions. The former tradition finds expression in hierarchically organized and ideologically legitimated continental bureaucratic states while the latter manifests itself in the state of laws. In recent times, the marginal tradition has gained in popularity and has led to continental bureaucratic states attempting to introduce democratic and constitutional reforms. These attempts have rarely altered the actual manner in which power is exercised by the state and its elites given the deeper and historically rooted experience of arbitrary rule. Far from being remote, the arbitrary culture of power that emerged in many parts of the world continues to shape the fortunes of states. To ignore this culture of power and the historical circumstances that have shaped it comes at a high price, as indicated by the ongoing democratic recession and erosion of liberal norms within states that are democracies.

Ilhan Niaz is the author of The Culture of Power and Governance of Pakistan, 19472008 and An Inquiry into the Culture of Power of the Subcontinent and teaches history at the Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.

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Old World Empires
Cultures of Power and Governance in Eurasia
Ilhan Niaz

Old World Empires

Cultures of Power and Governance in Eurasia

Ilhan Niaz

First published 2014
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

and by Routledge
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2014 Taylor & Francis

The right of Ilhan Niaz to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Niaz, Ilhan.
Old World empires : cultures of power and governance in Eurasia / by Ilhan Niaz.
pages cm. (Routledge studies in cultural history ; 25)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. EurasiaPolitics and government. 2. State, TheHistory. 3. ImperialismHistory. 4. Power (Social sciences)Eurasia History. 5. LawEurasiaHistory. 6. Political cultureEurasia History. 7. Politics and cultureEurasiaHistory. I. Title.
DS33.3.N53 2014
950dc 3
2013042201.

ISBN13: 978-0-415-72597-2 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978-1-315-85080-1 (ebk)

Typeset in Sabon
by IBT Global.

Map 2 South Asia Under the Sultanate of Delhi, the Timurid/Mughal Empire, and the British Empire in India.

Map 3 Contemporary India.

Map 4 Early classical China-Qin and Han.