From the time of the Crimean War through the fall of the Tsar, the question of what to do about the Russian empire's large Muslim population was a highly contested issue among educated Russians both inside and outside the government. As formulated in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Muslim Question comprised a complex set of ideas and concerns that centered on the problems of reimagining and governing the tremendously diverse Russian empire in the face of the challenges presented by the modernizing world. Basing her analysis on extensive research in archival and primary sources, Elena I. Campbell reconstructs the issues, debates, and personalities that shaped the development of Russian policies toward the empire's Muslims and the impact of the Muslim Question on the modernizing path that Russia would follow.

About the Author

Elena I. Campbell is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Washington.

Reviews

This fine book is particularly recommended for courses on comparative empires, Muslims in world history, and European imperialism.

* Review of Middle East Studies *

For someone whose native language is not English, [Campbell's] prose is remarkably clear, and she makes a major contribution to the understanding of Russia's 'Muslim Question'-past and present. . . . Recommended.

* CHOICE *

Campbell's book shows how profound official Islamophobia paradoxically led to the preservation of earlier confessional structures, grudging non-interference with the spiritual and social life of most Muslim communities, a restraining hand on the actions (if not the rhetoric) of Orthodox missionaries, and a certain uneasy toleration.

* Slavonic and East European Review *

While Campbell's study covers mostly well-trodden ground, she provides an engaging and enlightening synthesis which significantly supplements, compliments, and at times challenges existing scholarship. She pulls together a tight, lucid, and well-structured study anchored firmly in multiple archival, primary and secondary sources.

* Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations *

While this volume covers mostly familiar ground with respect to developments taking place between Muslims and state officials in imperial Russia, Campbell's extensive use of state archival sources adds new source-based material to discussions of this subject. As such, The Muslim Question should constitute necessary reading for anyone interested in issues pertaining to Muslims in imperial Russia.

* Russian Review *

Readable, original, and endlessly interesting, Campbell's book deserves the very highest praise.

* Journal of Islamic Studies *

The Muslim Question's thoroughness and its unique focus make it a fruitful resource ideally suited to advanced undergraduates and to graduate students.

* Religiious Studies Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780253014467
Author Elena I. Campbell
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press
Weight(grams) 581g