TURKISTAN: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FROM THE REFERENCE SOURCES OF THE 20TH CENTURY
TURKISTAN: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FROM THE REFERENCE SOURCES OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Summary/Abstract: The usage of the terms Central, Middle, and Inner Asia throughout the 20th century has resulted in the near death of a previous concept which has been used for the region for centuries. Despite the Soviet authorities’ political campaign against its use, the concept of Turkestan/Turkistan survived the past century well into the 21st. This study presents a survey of encyclopedic reference literature related to the concept of Turkistan published over the course of the 20th century. Here, nearly eighty encyclopedias in different languages were reviewed. This survey aims to help one clarify the definitions of the term reflected in perceptions of the concept across the globe during the mentioned time period. Additionally, the study also seeks to limit terminological anarchy by providing clear-cut definitions for terms such as Central, Middle and Inner Asia as well as concepts of Eastern, Western, Southern, Southeastern and Greater Turkistan in light of these reference sources.

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