Sovietistan

Erika Fatland’s Sovietistan: A Journey Through Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan provides a personal account of travels into the former and little-known Soviet republics of Central Asia in the 2010s. The author includes vital context on the specific cultures within each republic and attempts to dispel common perceptions of the area within the Western world. In a vibrant travelogue, Fatland educates the reader on the nuances of each of country while interviewing locals to gain a greater sense of how these countries are fairing since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Historical Comprehension

The author’s approach to historical education starts from ground zero as she notes that the most popular cultural reference from the region is from a fictional, satirical movie (Borat). In each region, Fatland provides the reader with a depiction of major historical events, primarily citing secondary sources apart from her interviews with locals. With a vague personal understanding of Central Asia, I found this basic education to be helpful within the context of her travels. The majority of the author’s original commentary focuses on how each country developed since the break-up of the Soviet Union. In various interviews with locals, Fatland articulates the significant economic and social challenges ordinary citizens face in these young republics. Most notably, the interviews in countries with less censorship reflect the extreme differences in economic development across both countries and metropolitan areas, despite common issues with corrupt, autocratic central governments that are vestiges of Soviet central committees.

Modern Readability

The author provides a much needed, elementary education of the Stans in each section to guide the reader. As a novice to the respective historical and modern political environments, Fatland’s overarching history-telling helps explain many of her experiences and interactions with locals. In terms of flow, the author doesn’t overanalyze any particular point which is impressive considering how bizarre is it is to explain how things work in Turkmenistan, for example, to western audiences. In addition, Fatland relatively consistent division of historical periods in each section (Pre-Soviet, Soviet and Independence) especially emphasizes the impact that the Soviet Union had on reshaping each country’s modern economy and political climate. Overall, this is an easy read for a newcomer to Central Asian history.

Unique, Balanced Perspective

Given the stringent visa requirements and complexities of travel within Central Asia, few detailed post-Soviet historical travelogues exist to date. Fatland’s linguistic and diplomatic skills enable her to access areas of the world that are practically off-limits. And unlike travel-bloggers and unseasoned journalists, she thoroughly explains the paths of causation that created some of the extreme modern political environments observed in Central Asia. While I found some of her conclusions to be overly definitive, Fatland’s ability to compare and contrast the five former Soviet republics enlightens the western reader and demystifies vague, homogenous perceptions of the region.