In Russia’s Far East sits the wild Ussuri Kray; a region known for its remote highlands and rugged mountain passes where tigers and bears roam the cliffs; and salmon and lenok navigate the rivers. In this collection of travel writing by famed Russian explorer and naturalist Vladimir K. Arsenyev (1872-1930); readers are shuttled back to the turn of the 20th century when the Russian Empire was reeling from its defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) and vulnerable to its Far Eastern neighbors. What began as an expedition to survey the region’s infrastructure for the Russian military turned into an adventure through a territory rich in ethnic and ecological diversity. Encountering the disappearing indigenous cultures of the Nanai and Udege; engaging the help of Korean farmers and Chinese hunters; and witnessing the beginning of indomitable Russian settlement; Arsenyev documents the lives and customs of the region’s inhabitants and their surroundings. Originally written as "a popular scientific description of the Kray;" this unabridged edition includes photographs largely unseen for nearly a century and is annotated by Jonathan C. Slaght; a biologist working in the same forests Arsenyev explored. Across the Ussuri Kray is a classic of northeast Asian cultural and natural history.
#1548842 in Books Alanna E Cooper 2012-12-07 2012-12-07Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .80 x 6.00l; .90 #File Name: 0253006503336 pagesBukharan Jews and the Dynamics of Global Judaism
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Discovering Central Asian MizrahiBy Dr. Debra Jan BibelFor students of Judaica and Central Asia; this well-researched book covers much territory in history and social and cultural anthropology. I obtained it to supplement a Bukharian ethnomusicology book. While early chapters become bogged in the historical minutiae of a polemic that concerns conflicting interpretations of Jewish regulations; the remainder develops more interestingly and broadly under the rubric of not only 'Who are the Bukharian Jews?" but also the larger question;'Who is a Jew?"; which becomes important in the Israeli Right of Return. Moreover; the book is concerned with the historical interactions between Jewish institutions in Jerusalem and the communities in Central Asia; including the relationships with both finance and power. The conflicting parameters of political nationality; religious affiliation; socio-political lineage and genetic endowment; and cultural self-identification muddy the waters. Indeed; in the history of the Bukharian Jews; the Sefardic chief rabbi in Jerusalem sent an Ashkenazi Hassid to Bukhara to instruct in Jewish liturgy and conduct for a population already versed with fundamental Jewish teaching but with local customs; as much as Yeminite and Ethiopian Jews and other edah; or ethnicities; have local cultural variations. During the Soviet era; Jews (or those who have Jewish family roots) were considered a separate nationality whether living in Uzbekistan; Tajikistan; or the Ukraine. Jews who dwelled in Tashkent or Samarkand called themselves Bukharan; largely because of a 19th-century bureaucratic shortening of the name of an organization of Central Asian Jews in Jerusalem. Jewish identification is by custom through the mother; except in Bukhara; where as with the Muslim population; Jewish identification was patrilineally transmitted. During World War II; fleeing Ashkenazi Jews came to Central Asia but being European; integrated with the Russian population and hence were regarded as not true Jews by the Bukharans. Such are but a few of the remarkable notes in this book. The adjustments of Bukharian immigrants in Israel and the United States are taken up in the final chapters; presently; as with many recent immigrant ethnicities; the ties to traditions are still tight but will doubtlessly soon loosen. Foods; Tajik-Persian or Bukharit or even Russian language; music; and certain customs in weddings; for instance [Bukharian grooms break a plate; not a glass]; will likely persist; but social identification of a Bukharian Jew already is problematic among Jews of Central Asian ancestry. Alanna Cooper's study and interviews are an important contribution to Jewish history.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy AIAs a Bukharian Jewish reader; I found this book well written and insightful.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy JohnGreat book! Fabulous Job Dr. Cooper.
