Yuri Bregel
Encyclopedia
Yuri Bregel is a prominent academic in the field of Central Asian studies
. He is one of the world's leading historians of Islamic Central Asia
, and has published a number of import works on the subject.
, Bregel proved a more than worthy successor to this tradition of rigorous scholarship in the Islamic History of Central Asia.
In 1974 he emigrated to Israel, where he was on the faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1981 he moved to the United States, where he joined what was then Bloomington's Centre for Uralic and Altaic Studies owing to his excellent knowledge of Central Asian Turki and Chagatai
. However, what Bregel brought to an already world renowned Department (under the able stewardship of Denis Sinor
) was not so much an addition to the ranks of turcologists, as a far greater understanding of the region's Islamic and Persian heritage.
At a time when the medieval and early-modern history of Central Asia was hardly studied in the West, save through outdated translations of works such as the Ta'rikh-e Rashidi, and one or two of Barthold's monographs, Bregel pioneered serious research into and the textual study of the documents and manuscripts in Persian and Chagatai from the region which were held in Western libraries, in addition to copies of rare works which he had been able to bring with him from Russia. He insisted his students learn Russian
, Persian
and Turki
in order to be able both to pursue their work with original sources, and read the best-researched secondary literature on the subject, most of which is in Russian.
With works such as his Bibliography and Atlas of Central Asian History (see below) he has laid a firm foundation for others to build on, as well as producing numerous scholarly editions and translations of his own, along with his famously searing attack on the "Sovietological" approach to Central Asian History, Notes on the Study of Central Asia. Bregel is now retired, and his tradition is continued by students of his such as Devin Deweese
and Ron Sela.
Central Asian studies
Central Asian studies is the discipline of studying the culture, history, and languages of Central Asia. The roots of Central Asian studies as a social science discipline goes to 19th century Anglo-Russian Great Game...
. He is one of the world's leading historians of Islamic Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, and has published a number of import works on the subject.
Biography
Yuri Bregel was born in the U.S.S.R. as a son of Enoch Bregel (1903–1993), a noted Soviet economist. He studied in the Oriental Faculty of Moscow State University. Coming out of the same tradition which produced the great Vasily BartoldVasily Bartold
Vasily Vladimirovich Bartold was a Russian and Soviet historian and turcologist.-Biography:Bartold was born in Saint Petersburg.Bartold's lectures at the University of Saint Petersburg were annually interrupted by extended field trips to Muslim countries...
, Bregel proved a more than worthy successor to this tradition of rigorous scholarship in the Islamic History of Central Asia.
In 1974 he emigrated to Israel, where he was on the faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1981 he moved to the United States, where he joined what was then Bloomington's Centre for Uralic and Altaic Studies owing to his excellent knowledge of Central Asian Turki and Chagatai
Chagatai language
The Chagatai language is an extinct Turkic language which was once widely spoken in Central Asia, and remained the shared literary language there until the early twentieth century...
. However, what Bregel brought to an already world renowned Department (under the able stewardship of Denis Sinor
Denis Sinor
Denis Sinor was a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Central Asian Studies at the Department of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University and a tenured lecturer at Cambridge University between 1948 and 1962, and was one of the world's leading scholars for the history of Central Asia. Sinor...
) was not so much an addition to the ranks of turcologists, as a far greater understanding of the region's Islamic and Persian heritage.
At a time when the medieval and early-modern history of Central Asia was hardly studied in the West, save through outdated translations of works such as the Ta'rikh-e Rashidi, and one or two of Barthold's monographs, Bregel pioneered serious research into and the textual study of the documents and manuscripts in Persian and Chagatai from the region which were held in Western libraries, in addition to copies of rare works which he had been able to bring with him from Russia. He insisted his students learn Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
and Turki
Turki
The Turki language is a Türkic literary language active from the 13th to the 19th centuries, used by different Türkic peoples...
in order to be able both to pursue their work with original sources, and read the best-researched secondary literature on the subject, most of which is in Russian.
With works such as his Bibliography and Atlas of Central Asian History (see below) he has laid a firm foundation for others to build on, as well as producing numerous scholarly editions and translations of his own, along with his famously searing attack on the "Sovietological" approach to Central Asian History, Notes on the Study of Central Asia. Bregel is now retired, and his tradition is continued by students of his such as Devin Deweese
Devin Deweese
Devin Deweese is a professor of Islamic and Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington.He received his PhD in 1985 at Indiana University, and since then has continued to do research on Central Asian Islam, particularly Sufism and its political and social dimensions...
and Ron Sela.
Books
- Shir Muhammad Mirab Munis and Muhammad Reza Mirab Agahi Firdaws al-Iqbal: History of Khorezm Text Edition of a Chaghatay chronicle (Leiden:Brill)
- Bibliography of Islamic Central Asia (Indiana University Uralic and Altaic Series) 1995 3 Vols.
- Shir Muhammad Mirab Muni's and Muhammad Reza Mirab Agahi, Firdaws al-Iqbal: History of Khorezm translated from the Chaghatay and annotated (Leiden: Brill) 1999
- An Historical Atlas of Central Asia Handbook of Oriental Studies: Part 8 Uralic & Central Asian Studies (Leiden: Brill) 2003
Articles, chapters, and papers
- “Barthold and Modern Oriental Studies” International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies Vol.12 (1980) pp385–403
- "The Role of Central Asia in the History of the Muslim East" Asia Society Occasional Papers (Afghanistan Council) 1980
- “The Sarts in the Khanate of Khiva” Journal of Asian History Vol.12, 1978, pp. 121–151
- "Tribal Tradition and Dynastic History: The Early Rulers of the Qongrats According to Munis" Asian and African Studies Vol. 16, No.3, 1982
- '"Turko-Mongol Influences in Central Asia" in Turco-Persia in Historical Perspective Ed. R. Canfield (Cambridge University Press) 1991
- Notes on the Study of Central Asia Papers on Inner Asia, №.28 (Bloomington) 1996
- The Administration of Bukhara under the Manghits and Some Tashkent Manuscripts Papers on Inner Asia, №.34 (Bloomington) 2000