Evicting the Living God: Trans-imperial Islam and the Soviet Union on the Eve of Partition

by Till Mostowlansky

The establishment of Soviet rule in the southern parts of Central Asia bordering the British Empire has largely been researched through the lens of geopolitical competition. Virtually nothing is known about how the region’s Muslim populations experienced this period of revolution and war leading up to the 1947 partition of India. Using Persian, Russian and Urdu sources, this talk explores the Muslim networks that linked Central Asia with South Asia at the time. It further discusses how the study of these trans-imperial connections contributes to a nuanced understanding of attempts at re-engagement, as well as persistent disconnection, in the present.