The "Chinese question" in Central Asia
Subtitle: domestic order, social change and the Chinese factor
By: Marlène Laruelle and Sébastien Peyrouse
Contributors: Peyrouse, Sébastien
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 224
ISBN-13: 9780231703048; 9780231800839
Subjects: Civilization; Relations; Social change; Chinese influences
Description: Since the early 2000s, the People's Republic of China has become an increasingly key player in the fortunes of Central Asia, both diplomatically and strategically, particularly through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Economically, China has become one of the largest traders and investors in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, drastically diminishing Russia's long-time dominance and the influence of the United States and Europe. Treating China as an external factor in the domestic ordering of Central Asia, this volume uniquely analyzes the changes that have revolutionized the systems and societies of Central Asia. It reveals how China has become a subject of public debate and academic and expert research, and it follows the new cultural mediators, petty traders, lobbyists, migrants, and diasporas that have emerged in conjunction with the country's rise. China's ascendance has also triggered a number of anxieties and phobias across Central Asia, and the authors show how its dominance has brought Sinophobia and Sinophilia into closer relation.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.