Download SS 116 Inner Asian History and Civilizations

School of Arts and Sciences
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)
Social Science 116 – Inner Asian History and Civilizations (3 Units)
Summer Quarter 2002-2003
Instructor: Hasan Karrar
Teaching Assistants: TBA
Inner Asia occupies a central position in the Eurasian landmass. As sedentary empires and states flourished
on the periphery of the Eurasian landmass - in China, India, Persia, the Middle East, Russia and Europe Inner Asia served as an important conduit for trade, cultural and religious exchange, and was
simultaneously the seat of powerful nomadic empires that frequently threatened their sedentary neighbors.
This course surveys Inner Asian history and civilizations from 500 BC to the present. Though the
course is structured as an introductory survey of the field, enrollment has not been limited to freshmen.
Themes covered in this course include: nomadic-sedentary interaction, religious and cultural exchange,
trade along the Silk Roads, warfare and empire building on the steppe, conquest dynasties in East Asia,
South Asia and the Middle East, the eventual incorporation of Inner Asia into Chinese, Russian and British
spheres of influence, and the emergence of independent nation-states in Inner Asia at the end of the 20th
century. This course will cover regions including (present-day): post-Soviet Central Asia (Kazakistan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan), Chinese Central Asia (Inner Mongolia, the
Manchurian provinces, and the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region), Mongolia, and Azerbaijan.
This course will serve as an introduction to the history of a crucial but traditionally neglected area
of study and may act as a foundation for advanced courses in Inner Asian history. At the same time, the
course will also be of interest to students with an interest in East Asian, South Asia and European history,
as well as comparative history.
Grading
There will be three announced quizzes worth 15% each, one short paper worth 25%, and a final exam
worth 30%. Students are reminded that plagiarism is an extremely serious academic offence that
carries sever penalties as per LUMS academic regulations. Should there be any uncertainty on the
part of the student as to what constitutes plagiarism, it is the sole responsibility of the student to
consult with myself and/or the Teaching Assistants.
Attendance in class is optional. The student is solely responsible both for being familiar with the
reading material, as well as class lectures. Lectures are not intended to be a substitute for the readings or
vice versa.
Module One
Inner Asia in Antiquity and Early Modern History
In this Module we begin by examining the rise of nomadism in Inner Asia and the increasing interaction
between the nomads and the sedentary states and empires of Eurasia. We examine the different modes of
interaction between the nomads and the sedentary empires that include trade, warfare and reconciliation.
We also look at the rise of early Inner Asian empires – the Xiongnu, the Turks, and the Hun – that often
went rampaging through Eurasia.
1.
Introduction
Sinor, Denis. “The Concept of Inner Asia,” in Denis Sinor (Ed.), The Cambridge History of Early
Inner Asia (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990). 1-18.
2.. The Hsiung-nu Empire
3.
Chinese, Turkic and Arab Expansion
Soucek, Svat. A History of Inner Asia (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000). 51-69.
4.
Buddhism and Trade
Foltz, Richard. Religions of the Silk Road (New York: Macmillan, 2000). 37-59.
Module Two
Trade Along the Silk Roads, Religious Exchange, and Early Empire Expansion
Inner Asia was bordered by empires home to highly sophisticated religious traditions. By the fifth century
AD, Central Asia became an important conduit for religious ideas that moved back and forth along the Silk
Road. This transmission of religious thought was facilitated by monks, merchants and soldiers. The second
half of this module examines the rise of conquest dynasties from within Inner Asia that would establish
dynasties in East Asia and South Asia.
5.
The Turkic and Uygur Empires
Colin Mackerras. “Uygur -Tang Relations,” Central Asian Survey (2000), (19)2, 223-234.
Quiz I (20 Minutes)
6.
Chinese-Central Asian Relations under the Tang Dynasty
Gernet, Jacques. A History of Chinese Civilization (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1996). 277-287.
7.
The Qarakhananids, the Seljukids, and the Ghaznavids
Soucek, Svat. A History of Inner Asia. 83-101.
8.
Conquest Dynasties in East Asia: The Liao, Chin, and Xi Xia
Gernet Jacques. A History of Chinese Civilization. 352-359.
Module Three
The Mongol Invasions and their Impact on World History
The Mongol invasions were an important watershed in world history. The Mongols’ was the largest land
based empire in the world that stretched from Mongolia to Eastern Europe and created khanates in China,
Central Asia, Persia, and Russi. The readings and lectures during this week take into consideration the
Mongol empire and its impact on world history.
9.
The Rise and Rule of Chinggis Khan
Saunders, J. J. The History of Mongol Conquests (London: Routledge, 1971). 44-70.
Quiz II (20 Minutes)
10. Mongol Rule in China: The Yuan Dynasty
Morgan, David. The Mongols (Cambridge: Blackwell, 1990). 112-135.
11. Mongol Rule in Russia: The Golden Horde
Morgan, David. The Mongols. 136-145.
12. Mongol rule in Persia and the Middle East: The Ilkhans
Morgan, David. The Mongols. 145-174
Module Four
The Post Mongol World Order: Heirs to the Steppe Tradition
While the Mongol expansion was a spectacular military and political venture, equally interesting is the
speed with which the Mongol empire disintegrated. By the end of the 13 th century, the Mongol empire was
united in name only and by the end of the 14 th century the empire had almost unraveled. In its stead, Inner
Asia saw the rise of new nomadic kingdoms which led to the final round of expansionism from Inner Asia
to East and South Asia.
13. The Rise of Temur and Temurid Empire Building
Soucek, Svat. A History of Inner Asia. 123-143
Short Paper Due
14. The Coming of the Uzbeks
Soucek, Svat. A History of Inner Asia. 144-161.
15. Central Asian Kingdoms from the 17th to the 19th Centuries: Bukhara, Khiva and Khokand
Soucek, Svat. History of Inner Asia. 177-193..
16. The Manchus Conquer China
Gernet Jacques. A History of Chinese Civilization. 465-483.
Module Five
The End of Steppe Empires: Inner Asia enters the Modern World
By the mid-18th century the world of steppe nomadic empires was drawing to an end with Russian and
Chinese expansion into the Kazakh steppe and East Turkestan respectively. Inner Mongolia had been
incorporated early on into China under the Manchus, and Outer Mongolia was also firmly within the
Chinese sphere of influence. Beginning in the mid-19th century, British and Russian rivalry intensified and
Central Asia was devoured by its sedentary neighbors (the British having established first Company and
then Crown control in India). The twentieth century saw the establishment of Communist regimes in Russia
and China and their Central Asian territories came under Socialist rule. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed
leading to the independence of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Socialist rule likewise ended in Mongolia. This module ends by examining the challenges of state building
in post-Soviet Central Asia, and the immense political, economic, and strategic challenges facing these
countries at the beginning of the new millenium.
17. The Beginning of the End: Chinese and Russian Expansion into Central Asia
Soucek, Svat. A History of Inner Asia. 195-208.
Quiz Three (20 Minutes)
18. The Great Game: The British-Russian Rivalry in Central Asia
Soucek, Svat. A History of Inner Asia. 209-224.
19. Soviet Central Asia
Soucek, Svat. A History of Inner Asia. 225-2253.
20. Post-Soviet Central Asia: The Failure of Nation-States?
Soucek, Svat. A History of Inner Asia. 275-295.