Turkic Peoples in World History

Joo-Yup Lee is an intermittent lecturer at the University of Toronto, where he received his Ph.D. in Central Eurasian Studies (2012). He has published several books and articles, including Qazaqlïq, or Ambitious Brigandage, and the Formation of the Qazaqs (2016), which won the 2017 CESS Book Award. He also wrote entries on Turkic peoples for the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Asia and the Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE.

Lee’s book is an outstanding contribution, an important introduction to the Turkic-speaking world and its role in world history. It is a very convenient, readable introduction to a highly complicated area of study (the Central Asian and Middle Eastern Turkic world). Halford Mackinder (1861-1947), one of the founders of modern geographical studies, termed Central Asia "the pivot" of Eurasia, a role it is again playing in modern affairs. For those seeking background knowledge of the Central Asian/Central Eurasia states, Lee’s book offers a very solid introduction. This is an excellent introduction to the history of the Turkic peoples.Dr. Peter B. Golden, Professor Emeritus of History, Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies, Rutgers University (and Honorary Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences) Lee’s book is an excellent piece of scholarship which gives a well-proportioned introduction to the theme. The author yields an in-depth narrative which is readable nonetheless. The book is useful for both undergraduate and graduate students.István Vásáry m.p. Emeritus Professor, Eötvös Loránd University, BudapestThe movement of Turkic peoples into western Eurasia represents one of the major world historical events during more than half a millennium that stretched between the ninth and sixteenth centuries. It culminated with the establishment of the Ottoman Empire by Oghuz Turks. Joo-Yup Lee’s book The Turkic Peoples in World History offers readers a lucid guide to the complex process of Turkic migration, settlement and empire-building. Dr. Lee is the author of the widely praised work, Qazaqliq or Ambitious Brigandage, and the Formation of the Qazaqs: State and Identity in Post-Mongol Central Eurasia, as well important scholarly articles on the history and identity of Turks and Mongols. His work is informed by an ability to utilize sources in half a dozen languages of the Eurasian region as well as by a specialized knowledge of the genetic relationships of Central Asian peoples. His new book is, quite simply, the best new introduction to the broad geographical and historical expanse of Turkic history.Stephen Frederic Dale, author of The Garden of the Eight Paradises, Babur and the Culture of Empire in Central Asia, Afghanistan and India (1483-1530) and The Muslim Empires of the Ottomans, Safavids and MughalsThis survey is an excellent addition to the study of world history. Joo-Yup Lee provides a concise study with depth and substance that demonstrates the importance of the Turkic peoples in world history, while lucidly connecting the past with the present that both student and specialist will appreciate.Timothy May, Professor of Central Eurasian History, University of North Georgia

• Introduction  1. The Earliest, Nomad Turkic Peoples of the Mongolian Steppe: Tiele, Türks, and Uyghurs  2. The Various Turkic Peoples of South Siberia, Central Asia, and the Qipchaq Steppe: Qirghiz, Khazars, Bulghars, Qarakhanid Türks, and Qipchaqs  3. The Oghuz Turkic Peoples of West Asia and the Middle East: Seljuks, Ottomans, and Other Turkmen Groups  4. The Turko-Mongols (or "Mongol Turks") of the Qipchaq Steppe and Central Asia  Epilogue