In May 1992 political and social tensions in the former Soviet Republic of Tajikistan escalated to a devastating civil war, which killed approximately 40,000-100,000 people and displaced more than one million. The enormous challenge of the Soviet Union’s disintegration compounded by inner-elite conflicts, ideological disputes and state failure triggered a downward spiral to one of the worst violent conflicts in the post-Soviet space. This book explains the causes of the Civil War in Tajikistan with a historical narrative recognizing long term structural causes of the conflict originating in the Soviet transformation of Central Asia since the 1920s as well as short-term causes triggered by Perestroika or Glasnost and the rapid dismantling of the Soviet Union. For the first time, a major publication on the Tajik Civil War addresses the many contested events, their sequences and how individuals and groups shaped the dynamics of events or responded to them. The book scrutinizes the role of regionalism, political Islam, masculinities and violent non-state actors in the momentous years between Perestroika and independence drawing on rich autobiographical accounts written by key actors of the unfolding conflict. Paired with complementary sources such as the media coverage and interviews, these autobiographies provide insights how Tajik politicians, field commanders and intellectuals perceived and rationalized the outbreak of the Civil War within the complex context of post-Soviet decolonization, Islamic revival and nationalist renaissance.

This is a conversational approach to the teaching and learning of the Tajiki language. It uses authentic language material to help learners as they proceed through its topic-based lessons. Its emphasis on the spoken language promotes oral fluency alongside written skills. Both lessons and appendices present new vocabulary and grammar simply and recycle material to provide opportunities for both controlled and free language learning. The appendices include not only lists of useful information and samples of commonly needed letters and speeches but also an invaluable introduction to Tajiki grammar and a comprehensive Tajiki-English dictionary of all the book's vocabulary - over 4500 definitions.

A profile of the history, geography, government, culture, people, and economy of the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan.

Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan became free of the Soviet Union in 1991. But though they are new to modern statehood, this is a region rich in ancient history, culture, and landscapes unlike anywhere else in the world. Traveling alone, Erika Fatland is a true adventurer in every sense. In Sovietistan, she takes the reader on a compassionate and insightful journey to explore how their Soviet heritage has influenced these countries, with governments experimenting with both democracy and dictatorships. In Kyrgyzstani villages, she meets victims of the tradition of bride snatching; she visits the huge and desolate nuclear testing ground "Polygon" in Kazakhstan; she meets shrimp gatherers on the banks of the dried out Aral Sea; she travels incognito through Turkmenistan, as it is closed to journalists, and she meets German Mennonites that found paradise on the Kyrgyzstani plains 200 years ago. We learn how ancient customs clash with gas production and witness the underlying conflicts in new countries building their futures in nationalist colors. Once the frontier of the Soviet Union, life follows another pace of time. Amidst the treasures of Samarkand and the brutalist Soviet architecture, Sovietistan is a rare and unforgettable travelogue.

This is a conversational approach to the teaching and learning of the Tajiki language. It uses authentic language material to help learners as they proceed through its topic-based lessons. Its emphasis on the spoken language promotes oral fluency alongside written skills. Both lessons and appendices present new vocabulary and grammar simply and recycle material to provide opportunities for both controlled and free language learning. The appendices include not only lists of useful information and samples of commonly needed letters and speeches but also an invaluable introduction to Tajiki grammar and a comprehensive Tajiki-English dictionary of all the book's vocabulary - over 4500 definitions.

Accompanying CD-ROM contains ... "audio that helps develop listening and speaking skills as well as videos that were filmed in different regions of Xinjiang, China."--Page 4 of cover.