![]() "This book represents an exceptionally well-researched and convincingly-argued study. ranting the right to speak for themselves to those who have always been left voiceless in the historiography on the region." brilliant study, which eloquently presents very convincing evidence. This is also complemented by the breathtaking stories of the Russian military's interaction with native informants and agents. The pivotal merit of the research is the personal accounts of slaves, providing the reader with first-hand information on their intimate experiences in surviving and even making careers of their own within the ruthless reality of ultimate unfreedom. "Undoubtedly, Jeff Eden's monograph is a ground-breaking piece of scrupulous and very timely research. This book fills a large gap in the history of Central Asia and global slavery. ![]() The book ends by describing a little-known slave rebellion in Central Asia in 1873 that nicely underscores Eden's arguments about local slave agency. This account provides a rare treat for readers-a slave's own perspective. One such source is the firsthand account of the Iranian Mīrzā Maḥmūd Taqī Āshtiyānī, who spent ten years as a slave among Turkmen tribes. ![]() Readers will be especially interested in the material drawn from such rare sources as transcripts of interviews with former slaves compiled by Russian border officials, legal documents, and eyewitness travel reports. ![]() "Eden provides readers with a fascinating study of the slave trade in Central Asia, challenging the view that imperial Russia brought that pre-Islamic tradition to an end. ![]()
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