Mohammad-Reza Djalili

“Tajikistan: The Trials of Independence” is a collection of essays on subjects relevant to Tajikistan, including the origins of the ‘Tajik’ national identity, the impact of perestroika on Tajikistan, the civil war, and the regional ambitions of Russia, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran in Tajikistan, especially during the civil war.

While covering a wide range of subjects relative to Tajikistan, the essays are in my opinion intellectually weak. Almost all the essays regurgitate the same Cold War propaganda about evil Soviet machinations in Central Asia. One of the essays even goes as far as arguing that socialism, rather than eliminating or at least reducing ethnic divisions, actually created more ethnic division than what existed in the pre-Soviet period by ending ethnic “complementarity” …????????????

I’d recommend those interested in Tajikistan read either Adeeb Khalid’s book on Uzbekistan (which has a fantastic, albeit brief, chapter on Tajikistan), or Tim Epkenhans book on the Tajikistan civil war.… (mehr)