Advanced Civilizations and Steppe Empires
The Cultural Area of Central Asia
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Central Asia has been an area of structured multiculturalism since time immemorial. The tension – sometimes even symbiosis – between highly specialized, cattle-breeding equestrian nomads and sedentary advanced civilizations shaped the physiognomy of Central Asia well into the modern era. Violent conflicts led to the large-scale migration of peoples. The symbiosis produced the legendary Silk Road, a high point of transcultural coexistence. However, the specific characteristics of the region have been reshaped since the 18th century, when first the eastern part of Central Asia came under Chinese rule and then the western part under Russian rule in the 19th century. The borders of today’s nation states are thus the product of imperial competition and Soviet nationality policy.
(Osteuropa 8-10/2024, pp. 9–34)