Soviet and Muslim
The Institutionalization of Islam in Central Asia, 1943-1991
Eren Tasar
Reviews and Awards
"In Soviet and Muslim, Eren Tasar presents the fascinating history of the major Soviet muftiate, the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Central Asia and Kazakhstan (SADUM) ... one will read Tasar's book not as a history of Islam in the region but as a well-written account of how the Soviets promoted a monopolist religious bureaucracy that had no precedent in the region, and how this muftiate in turn embraced the opportunities provided by the Soviet system." - Michael Kemper, Die Welt des Islams
"Soviet and Muslim is a splendid work, vivid in documentation, compelling in analysis and argumentation, and transformative in the vision of Soviet Muslim religious life it draws from the rich archival data. In challenging assumptions that essentialize and juxtapose the 'Soviet' vs. the 'Islamic,' it reshapes the conceptual framework underlying scholarship on Soviet Islam, and offers a dramatically revisionist understanding of the history of Islam in twentieth-century Central Asia." - Devin DeWeese, Professor of Central Eurasian Studies, Indiana University
"Eren Tasar has written an extraordinary study of religions institutions in post-war Central Asiaone that breaks new ground on almost every page. Soviet and Muslim illuminates how these organizations interacted and paradoxically grew, sometimes despite themselves. Using a rich trove of archival materials, Tasar eloquently shows how state and non-state actors convergedand even established an 'alliance'-shaped by the bureaucratic, political, and cultural logics in which they operated." - Douglas Northrop, Professor of History and Near Eastern Studies, University of Michigan
"Eren Tasar tells the story of how the Soviet state, formally committed to eradicating religion and spreading atheism, shaped Islam in Central Asia in surprising ways. Based on a treasure trove of newly declassified documents in multiple languages, Soviet and Muslim transforms our understanding of the complexities of governing Muslim life and institutions. It will be read with great profit by scholars interested in Soviet history, Central Asia, and the global dimensions of Islam." - Eugene M. Avrutin, author of Jews and the Imperial State: Identification Politics in Tsarist Russia
