Realities and Limits of the Russian Presence in Central Asia

Abstract

A study, drawn from Russian sources, of the more than twelve million Muslims who coexist with some eight million Russians in the five Soviet Republics of Central Asia. In a century of contact there has been surprisingly little assimilation between the two cultures. In rural areas traditional Muslim ways of life predominate, and most urban areas consist of two distinct cities, colonial and native. There is little intermarriage, and the native languages have not been supplanted by Russian. Though there is broadening contact in academic, military and work situations, and in cities that are being modernized and integrated, Muslims still effectively oppose russification of their culture and ethnic groupings.