Minorities, Mullahs and Modernity: Reshaping Community in the Former Soviet Union Mark Saroyan. Edited by Edward W. Walker 1997, ISBN: 0-87725-198-9 SUGGESTED CITATION: Mark Saroyan, edited by Edward W. Walker Minorities, Mullahs and Modernity: Reshaping Community in the Former Soviet Union . University of California International and Area Studies Digital Collection, Research Series #95, 1997. http://repositories.cdlib.org/uciaspubs/research/95

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Caucasus and Central Asia suddenly became significant actors on the world stage. Yet outside knowledge of this vast region has been limited and superficial. This collection of essays and lectures by the late Mark Saroyan (1960-1995, UCB Ph.D. 1990) is a major contribution to understanding the interaction among the region's religious traditions, cultures, and politics. Saroyan's command of five regional languages and extensive fieldwork both before and after the Soviet collapse yielded numerous original insights into the identity politics of the region. The volume will be of great interest to political scientists, anthropologists, historians, and students of religion — as well as to specialists on Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Contents

Front Matter, including Preface, Edward W. Walker (p. i-viii)

Introduction, Gail W. Lapidus and Ronald G. Suny (p. 1-7)

Rethinking Islam in the Soviet Union, Mark Saroyan (p. 8-42)

The Islamic Clergy and Community in the Soviet Union, Mark Saroyan (p. 43-56)

The Reinterpretation and Adaptation of Soviet Islam, Mark Saroyan (p. 58-87)

The Restructuring of Soviet Islam in the Gorbachev Era: Interethnic Fragmentation and Thematic Continuity, Mark Saroyan (p. 88-103)

Ambivalence, Authority, and the Problem of Popular Islam, Mark Saroyan (p. 104-124)

Majority-Minority Relations in the Soviet Republics, Mark Saroyan (p. 125-134)

Beyond the Nation-State: Culture and Ethnic Politics in Soviet Transcaucasia, Mark Saroyan (p. 135-166)

Trouble in the Transcaucasus, Mark Saroyan (p. 167-174)

The 'Karabakh Syndrome' and Azerbaijani Politics, Mark Saroyan (p. 175-203)

The Armenian Protests: Is It Passion or Politics?, Mark Saroyan (p. 204-210)

Representation as a Realm of Conflict: Two Examples from Soviet Armenian Literature, Mark Saroyan (p. 211-220)

Azerbaijan Looks "West": New Trends in Foreign Relations with Iran and Turkey, Mark Saroyan (p. 221-230)