Adeeb Khalid - Central Asia: A New History from the Imperial Conquests to the Present

MANY YEARS AGO, Brigitta van Rheinberg suggested that I write an accessible book on Central Asia for Princeton University Press. This, finally, is that book. It took longer than I expected and is longer than Brigitta expected, but it would not exist without her suggestion and encouragement. My thanks go to her for offering me the possibility both to think broadly about Central Asias modern history and to address a wider audience.

This book synthesizes most of what I know about Central Asia. I therefore owe thanks to all of the friends and colleagues who have helped me over my career. But I owe a special round of thanks to those friends and colleagues who welcomed me to the study of Xinjiang and helped me get my bearings in it. James Millward, David Brophy, Rian Thum, and Max Oidtmann answered many questions, gave practical advice for my travels there, and saved me from many mistakes. Artemy Kalinovsky, Scott Levi, Susannah Ottaway, and Charles Shaw read different parts of the manuscript as it developed and gave invaluable advice. Max Oidtmann read the full draft of the penultimate version of this book and offered generous comments and many corrections. I also thank the two anonymous readers for Princeton University Press for their insights and their suggestions. These generous colleagues have made me clarify many arguments, step back from overstatements, and refine my writing. It should go without saying (but I will say it anyway) that none of these fine scholars bears any responsibility for the blemishes that remain in this book.

Big thank-yous go to David Brophy, Alexander Morrison, James Pickett, and Sean Roberts for sharing prepublication versions of their works. Darren Byler, Victoria Clement, Akram Habibulla, and Rinat Shigabdinov answered queries and provided sources. The staff of the Special Collections Reading Room at Lund University Library made my week there both pleasant and productive. I am grateful to Lisa D., Yulduz X., and Yahya al-Sini for research in Chinese-language materials. Many thanks go to Bill Nelson for the wonderful maps and Elizabeth Budd for the graphs.