Qazaqlïq, or Ambitious Brigandage, and the Formation of the Qazaqs

Download or read book Qazaqlïq, or Ambitious Brigandage, and the Formation of the Qazaqs written by Joo-Yup Lee and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2015-12-22 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Qazaqlïq, or Ambitious Brigandage, and the Formation of the Qazaqs Joo-Yup Lee examines the formation of new group identities, with a focus on the Qazaqs, in post-Mongol Central Eurasia within the context of qazaqlïq, or the qazaq way of life, a custom of political vagabondage widespread among the Turko-Mongolian peoples of Central Asia and the Qipchaq Steppe during the post-Mongol period. Utilizing a broad range of original sources, the book suggests that the Qazaqs, as well as the Shibanid Uzbeks and Ukrainian Cossacks, came into existence as a result of the qazaq, or “ambitious brigand,” activities of their founders, providing a new paradigm for understanding state formation and identity in post-Mongol Central Eurasia.