Nicoleta Annemarie MUNTEANU
| Abstract: | Islamic Culture and Pre-Islamic Beliefs in Central Asia (Lexington Books, 2024) offers a multidisciplinary examination of the religious, political, and cultural landscapes of Central Asia from antiquity to the post-Soviet era. Structured in five thematic sections, the volume interrogates the interplay between longstanding spiritual traditions and the profound transformations imposed by modern statehood and ideological regimes. This volume represents a significant scholarly contribution to the study of Central Asian religious and cultural history. Distinguished by high editorial standards and exceptional graphic presentation across its 298 pages, the work brings together a coherent and intellectually rigorous set of studies. The editors, Mihai Dragnea, Dorina Dragnea, and Antonio Alonso Marcos have successfully curated a multidisciplinary collection that deepens understanding of Islamic traditions and pre-Islamic belief systems in the region. The book’s clarity, methodological diversity, and engagement with understudied topics make it a valuable resource for specialists and an important addition to the existing body of academic literature. |
| Keywords: | Islamic culture, Central Asia, Balkans, religious studies, anthropology, archaeology, political history |