The transitional politics of Eurasian space is marked by a constant struggle among three sets of ideas and institutions: the first is the remarkable resilience of Soviet ideas and institutions; second, an attempt by the regimes of these states to reinvent the historical and cultural traditions of pre-Soviet periods; and third is an attempt by a section of the powerful elite to superimpose Western liberal ideas and institutions. There is a strange intertwining of these ideas and institutions.
This book examines the extent to which the post-Soviet politics has departed from the Soviet one. What are the new ideational structures emerging in these states and how far have they crystallised into institutions? What are the external influences which are shaping the institutions in the Eurasian space? And finally, what are the various dynamics of geopolitics in this region? Experts from various countries will delve into the shifting dynamics of Eurasian politics.
Tulsiram and Ajay Patnaik
Prof. Tulsiram, currently the Director of the UGC’s Russian and Central Asian Area Studies Programme in the Centre for Russian and Central Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, was the former Chairperson of the Centre. Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Oriental Studies at Moscow and St. Petersburg, Prof. Tulsiram is a prominent critic on Indian Literature and Buddhism. Having a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Banaras Hindu University, Uttar Pradesh, he also has another Master’s in International Relations from the School of International Studies, JNU, and holds a PhD degree in Soviet Studies from the same School. At present, Prof. Tulsiram is working on Trans-Caucasia and Buddhism in Russia and is on the academic bodies of several universities in India.
Author of numerous research as well popular articles, Prof. Tulsiram has authored seven books, including an autobiographical book in Hindi named Murdahiya published in 2011. His edited works include Post-Soviet States: Two Decades of Transition and Transformation (2012) Globalisaltion and Eurasia (2009), both co-edited with Ajay Patnaik.
Dr. Ajay Kumar Patnaik is Professor and former Chairperson in the Centre for Russian and Central Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. A PhD from JNU, Prof. Patnaik was Visiting Scholar in the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Cambridge, UK (1992-93); ICSSR Exchange Scholar at the Institute of Ethnography, Moscow (1999) and at the Institute of Oriental Studies, Moscow (2010); Visiting Solanki Professor and Scholar in Residence at Yadunandan Centre for Indian Studies, California State University, USA (2006). He has authored three books—Nations, Minorities and States in Central Asia (2003), Central Asia: Between Modernity and Tradition (1995) and Perestroika and Women Labour Force in Soviet Central Asia (1989). Prof. Patnaik has contributed many articles and research papers in referred journals such as Europe-Asia Studies, Frontiers of Sociology, Security and Society, Turkic Civilisation Studies, History Research, Contemporary Central Asia, Dialogue and World Focus. He has edited six books and presented numerous research papers in International Seminars/Conferences in India and abroad. Prof. Patnaik is also the Executive Editor of the journal Contemporary Central Asia and is on the editorial board of several national and international journals, including International Studies. He has been a member of several academic bodies outside JNU.
Political Science
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