In the most comprehensive survey of the Crimean Tatars-from the foundation of the glorious khanate in the fifteenth century to genocide and the struggle for survival in the twentieth century-Alan W. Fisher presents a detailed analysis of the culture and history of this people. The author clarifies and assesses the myriad problems inherent to a multinational society comprising more than one hundred non-Russian ethnic groups and discusses the resurgence of nationalist sentiment, the efforts of the Crimean Tatars and others to regain territorial rights lost during the Stalinist era, and the political impact these movements have on contemporary Soviet affairs.

Alan W. Fisheris a professor of history and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Letters at Michigan State University. The history of the Ottoman empire and the Turkic peoples, especially the Crimean Tatars, has been the primary focus of his studies and research. Fisher is the author ofThe Russian Annexation of the Crimea, 1772-1783(Cambridge University Press, 1970) and has written articles forSlavic Review,Cahiers du monde russe et sovietique,Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas,Canadian-American Slavic Studies,Humaniora Islamica, and Harvard Ukranian Studies; he is editor of theBulletinof Turkish Studies Association.