Melissa Chakars, “The Socialist Way of Life in Siberia: Transformation in Buryatia” (Central European UP, 2014)

New Books in Buddhist Studies

In The Socialist Way of Life in Siberia: Transformation in Buryatia (Central European University Press, 2014), Melissa Chakars reveals not only how Soviet policies disrupted traditional Buryat ways of life, but also how Buryats adapted to build a modern educated society in the post-war period. Ethnic Buryats were proportionally over-represented in cultural, educational and media positions in the region, giving a much greater influence than their numbers (20% of the population) would indicate. Chakars analyzes the ways in which Buryats were able to benefit from modernization and their engagement with the Soviet system. This book contributes to a better understanding of both Soviet policies in Siberia and the relationship between central governments and indigenous peoples.

Melissa Chakars is Associate Professor of History at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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