Identity, History and Trans-Nationality in Central Asia

Pamiris, or Badakhshanis in popular discourse, form a small group of Iranic peoples who inhabit the mountainous region of Pamir-Hindu Kush, being the historical region of Badakhshan. Pamiri communities are located in the territories of four current nation-states: Tajikistan, Afghanistan, China and Pakistan. This book provides insights in the identity process of a group of mountain communities whose vigorous cultures, languages and complex political history have continued to shape a strategic part of the world. Its various chapters capture what being a Pamiri may entail and critically explore the impact of both trans-regionalism and the globalisation processes on activating, engaging and linking the dispersed communities. The book presents a variety of lines of argument pertaining to Pamiri identity and identification processes. Structured in three parts, the book first addresses themes relevant to the region's geography and the recent history of Pamiri communities. The second section critically explores the rich philosophical, religious and cultural Pamiri heritage through the writings of prominent historical figures. The final section addresses issues pertaining to the contemporary diffusion of traditions, peace-building, interconnectivity and what it means to be a Pamiri for the youth of the region. Contributions by experts in their field offer fresh insights into the Ismaili communities in the region while successfully updating the historical and ethnographic legacy of Soviet times with present-day scholarship. As the first collection of scholarly contributions in English entirely focusing on the Pamiri people, this book will be of interest to academics in the fields of the history, anthropology, religious studies, sociology, linguistics, education and geography of Central Asia and/or East Asia as well as of Islam, Islamic thought, minority-majority relations, population movements and the processes of defining and affirming identity among minority groups.

Dagikhudo Dagiev is Research Associate in the Department of Academic Research and Publications at The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, UK. Carole Faucher is Professor in the Nazarbayev University, Graduate School of Education, Kazakhstan and Visiting Researcher with the Department of Anthropology at the Universtité de Montréal. She is also Research Affiliated with the UNESCO Chair "Global Health and Education".

1. Introduction: Locating Pamiri Communities in Central Asia, Carole Faucher and Dagikhudo Dagiev Identity Formation, Borders and Political Transformations 2. Geography, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage in Interplay in the Context of the Tajik Pamiri Identity, Sunatullo Jonboboev 3. Pamiri Ethnic Identity and its Evolution in Post-Soviet Tajikistan, Dagikhudo Dagiev 4. The Wakhi Language: Marginalisation and Endangerment, Sherali Gulomaliev 5. The Tajiks of China: Identity in the Age of Transition, Amier Saidula Archaeology, Myths, Intellectual and Cultural Heritage 6. A Badakhshani Origin for Zoroaster, Yusufsho Yaqubov and Dagikhudo Dagiev7. The Silk Road Castles and Temples: Ancient Wakhan in Legends and History, Abdulmamad Iloliev 8. Nasir-i Khusraw's Intellectual Contribution: the Meaning of Pleasure and Pain in His Philosophy, Ghulam Abbas Hunzai 9. Religious Identity in the Pamirs: the Institutionalisation of the Ismäili Däwa in Shughnan, Daniel Beben 10. Forgotten Figures of Badakhshan: Sayyid Munir al-Din Badakhshani and Sayyid Haydar Shah Mubarakshahzada, Muzaffar Zoolshoev Social Cohesion, Interactions and Globalization 11. Blessed People in a Barren Land: The Bartangi and their Success Catalyser Barakat, Stefanie Kicherer 12. Promoting Peace and Pluralism in the Rural, Mountainous Region of Chitral, Pakistan, Mir Afzal Tajik, Ali Nawab and Abdul Wali Khan 13. A 'Shift' in Values: Mother's Educational Role in the Gorno-Badakhshan Region, Nazira Sodatsayrova 14. Project Identity: the Discursive Formation of Pamiri Identity in the Age of the Internet, Aslisho Qurboniev 15. Religious Education and Self-Identification among Tajik Pamiri Youth, Carole Faucher