On the naming of ‘Stans

[nineveh_uk]

I am reading Inside Central Asia by Dilip Hiro in advance of my holiday. It’s an introductory political history of the region* since about 1800, and manages to convey its complex and potentially rather dry subject matter in a very readable manner. With the occasional exception:

Following the Tsarist practice of calling Kazakhs Kyrgyzes, and Kyrgyzes Kara- Kyrgyzes, the Soviet authorities named the Kyrgyz-majority areas of Turkistan the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Province (later the Kyrgyz Autonomous Province, subsequently renamed Kyrgyz ASSR in February 1926), and retained it within the RSFSR.

*Plus Turkey, Russia and Iran, as relevant powers.

Comments

[widsidh.livejournal.com]

I am reminded of the thing about the PIcts and the Scots in 1066 And All That:

"“The Scots (originally Irish, but by now Scotch) were at this time inhabiting Ireland, having driven the Irish (Picts) out of Scotland; while the Picts (originally Scots) were now Irish (living in brackets) and vice versa. It is essential to keep these distinctions clearly in mind (and verce visa).”"

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, you're right! I can only assume the editors hadn't read it.

[adina-atl.livejournal.com]

Okay, speaking as someone who knows a little Russian and isn't normally intimidated/confused by names with lots of consonants...that's a bloody confusing and intimidating sentence!

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

By the point I reached it all the acronyms had been explained, and it did make sense when I read it again very, very slowly. But I feel there must have been a more reader-friendly way of putting it!