Materials Provided to Participants
- Rafis Abazov, The Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of Central Asia (New York, 2008).
- Peter B. Golden, Central Asia in World History (Oxford, 2011)
- Scott C. Levi and Ron Sela, eds, Islamic Central Asia: An Anthology of Historical Sources (Bloomington, 2010).
- Course Packet
Please note: While have made every effort to make the syllabus below as complete as possible, details may be subject to change
WEEK 1
Sunday July 15
5:00-7:00
Orientation and welcome reception hosted by the Department of History
Monday July 16
9:30-12:00
“Silk Roads and Steppe Empires: An Introduction to Central Asia in World History,” Scott Levi
12:00-1:00
Lunch Break
1:00-2:30
Workshop: “Resources for Researching Central Asian History,” Associate Professor Dona Straley, OSU Thompson Library
3:00-5:00
“Inner Asian Nomadic Culture and Society in Historical Perspective,” Daniel Prior
Reading:
· S. A. M. Adshead, “World History and Central Asia: Time, Place and People,” in Central Asia in World History, 3–26
· P. Golden, 1–34
· P. Golden, “Nomads and Sedentary Societies in Medieval Eurasia,” 1–37
Tuesday July 17
9:30-12:00
Workshop: “The Pastoral Nomadic Way of Life,” Daniel Prior
12:00-1:00
Lunch Break
1:00-3:00
Workshop: “Unit Plans and Learning Outcomes for Teaching Central Asian History,” Robert Snavely
3:00-4:30
Presentation: “The Silk Road”
Reading:
· C. Dawson, Mission to Asia, 3–18, 32–40
· P. Golden, 35–75
Wednesday July 18
9:30-12:00
“Turks in World History: Emergence to Empire,” Carter Findley
12:00-1:00
Lunch Break
1:00-4:00
“The Rise of Islam in the Central Asian Context,” Scott Levi
Reading:
· C. Findley, “The Pre-Islamic Turks and Their Precursors,” in The Turks in World History, 21–55
· R. Foltz, “The Islamization of the Silk Road,” in Religions of the Silk Road, 89–109
Thursday July 19
9:30-12:00
“The Turkic Migrations in the Middle East,” Carter Findley
12:00-1:00
Lunch Break
1:00-4:00
“Sources for the Study of Central Asian History,” Ron Sela and Scott Levi
Reading:
· C. Findley, “Islam and Empire from the Seljuks through the Mongols,” in The Turks in World History, 56–92
· S. Levi and R. Sela
o Central Asia under the Samanids, “Hudud al-‘Alam: The Frontiers of the Muslim World in the Tenth Century,” 28–34
o The Age of Learning, “Ibn Sina: Biographical Notes,” 35–39 and “al-Biruni: On the Importance of the Sciences,” 39-44
o Encounters with the Turks, “Introduction,” 47-49. “Turkic Peoples of the Steppe,” 51-58
o Qarakhanids: The First Turkic Muslim State in Central Asia, “Jamal Qarshi: The Conversion to Islam of Satuq Bughra Khan,” 73–76 and “Yusuf Hass Hajib: Advice to the Qarakhanid Rulers,” 76-81
o Central Asia in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries, “Liao Shih: Nomadic Khitan State and Society,” 100–07
Friday July 20
9:30-12:00
“Travelers to and from Central Asia and their Accounts,” Ron Sela
12:00-1:00
Lunch Break
1:00-4:00
Workshop: “Source Analysis,” Ron Sela and Scott Levi
Reading:
· S. Levi and R. Sela
o Timur and the Timurids, “Introduction,” 161–64
o Timur’s Rise and Rule, “Ibn ‘Arabshah: Timur and His Steppe Campaigns,” 165-171, “Ibn Khaldun: Personal Narrative of a Meeting with Timur,” 171-75, “Ruy González de Clavijo: A Spanish Embassy to Timur’s Capital,” 175-80
o Central Asia in the Fifteenth Century, “Khwandamir: Timur’s Heirs: Shahrukh and Ulughbeg,” 181-84, “Nava’i: A Comparison between Persian and Turkic,” 184-87, “Khoja Ahrar: Letters,” 188-90, “Five Readings on Sufi Orders in Central Asia: Competition, Practice, Politics,” 190-96.
o Central Asia in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, “Introduction,” 199-201
o The Shibanids and Central Asian Society in the Sixteenth Century, “Zubdat al-athar: The Beginnings of the Shibanid State,” 203-08, “Babur: Description of the Farghana Valley and Babur’s Ejection from Samarqand,” 208-15, “Anthony Jenkinson: An English Merchant in Central Asia,” 215-21, “Juybari Archives: A Sixteenth-Century Bukhara Deed of Sale,” 221-22, “Akbar Emperor of India: A Letter to ‘Abdallah Khan Uzbek, King of Turan,” 222-225
o Central Asia in the Seventeenth Centuries, “Abu’l-Ghazi: Reasons for Writing the Genealogies of the Turks and Turkmens,” 227-29, “Ivan Khokhlov: A Russian Envoy to Central Asia,” 230-33, “Sayyeda-ye Nasafi: A Visit to the Shrine of Baha’al-Din Naqshband,” 233-37, “Churas: Erke Bek, a Turkestani in the Service of the Oirats,” 237-39
Saturday July 21
1:00-4:00
Music of the Silk Road Culture: Classical Music of the East, Silk Road Ensemble, Mount Hall Studio Theater
6:00-9:00
“Culinary Adventures Along the Silk Road,” a culturally informed cooking demonstration by Scott Levi
WEEK 2
Monday July 23
9:30-12:00
Workshop: “Great Walls and Great Horses: Pastoral Nomads on the Chinese Frontier,” Timothy May and Scott Levi
Workshop: “Great Walls and Great Horses: Pastoral Nomads on the Chinese Frontier,” Timothy May and Scott Levi
12:00-1:00
Lunch Break
Lunch Break
1:00-4:00
“The Nomadic Advantage: Mongol Conquests in Eurasian Context,” Timothy May
“The Nomadic Advantage: Mongol Conquests in Eurasian Context,” Timothy May
7:00-9:15
Video Presentation: “Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan”
Video Presentation: “Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan”
Reading:
· T. Barfield, “Introduction: The Steppe Nomadic World,” in The Perilous Frontier: Nomadic Empires and China, 221 BC to AD 1757, 1–31
Tuesday July 24
9:30-12:00
“The Mongol Empire and its Legacy,” Timothy May
12:00-1:00
Lunch Break
1:00-2:30
“From the Timurid to the Russian Empires: Early Modern Central Asia in World Historical Perspective,” Nurten Kilic-Schubel and Scott Levi
2:30-5:00
Workshop: “Russification of the Region,” Robert Snavely
Reading:
· P. Golden, 76–121
· S. Levi, “India, Russia and the Eighteenth-Century Transformation of the Central Asian Caravan Trade,” Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, pp. 519–48
Wednesday July 25
9:30-12:00
Workshop: “Gender and Society in Islamic Central Asia,” Nurten Kilic-Schubel
12:00-1:00
Lunch Break
1:00-4:00
1:00-4:00
“Islam, ‘Modernity’ and Islamic Reform Movements in Central Asian Society,” Adeeb Khalid
Reading:
· P. Golden, 122–39
· N. Kilic-Schubel, “Women and Gender in Legends and Epics of Central Asia,” in Suad Joseph, ed., Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures, vol. 5, 440-41
· Khalid, “The Origins of Jadidism,” in The Politics of Muslim Cultural Reform: Jadidism in Central Asia, 80–113
Thursday July 26
9:30-12:00
“Central Asian Islam in the Modern World,” Adeeb Khalid
12:00-1:00
Lunch Break
1:00-4:00
“Central Asia Today: the Creation of Nations,” Adeeb Khalid and Scott Levi
Reading:
· Khalid, “The Revival of Islam” and “Islam in Opposition,” in Islam After Communism: Religion and Politics in Central Asia, 116–67
· S. Levi, “Turk and Tajik in Central Asian History,” in J. Sahadeo and R. Zanca, eds, Everyday Life in Central Asia, 15–31
Friday July 27
9:30-12:00
Presentations of Unit Plans and Summary Workshop
1:00-4:00
