DECONSTRUCTING THE CONCEPT OF THE ‘NOMAD’ IN CENTRAL EURASIA

Abstract

The concept of the ‘nomad’ in central Eurasian archaeology and anthropology is highly problematic. Nomadic people and their way of life, mobile pastoralism, have consistently been characterised by what they lack in opposition to settled agriculturalists. This has resulted in the depiction of nomads through time as entirely dependent on their environment, living in politically unstable ‘tribes’ and constantly raiding their sedentary neighbours. This essay deconstructs these long-standing assumptions which are inherent to Western and Russo-Soviet scholarship about so-called nomads. Instead, it highlights new approaches which focus on the diversity and resilience of past mobile pastoralists in central Eurasia. The archaeological project at Begash, Kazakhstan, is presented and discussed as a case study. Ultimately, the concept of the nomad proves to be a paradox which should be abandoned in favour of more relational definitions and approaches.