Geiss, Paul Georg. Pre-Tsarist and Tsarist Central Asia: Communal Commitment and Political Order in Change. New York: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003.

Geiss's book has a good history of customary law (aksakal/oqsoqol and biy/bii) and Islamic law (qadi/qazi) courts in Central Asia. With regard to Islamic law, it discusses the importance of the mahalla and with regard to customary law, it discusses the importance of tribal relations. It appears well researched and has maps and graphs of tribal relations and a nice glossary of terms. It concludes by arguing that an understanding of the communal commitment structures in Central Asia is necessary before democratic reforms can be achieved.

Contents: Tribal Communal Commitment; Residential Communal Commitment; Pre-Tsarist Tribal Political Integration; Dynastic Rule in the River Oases: Between Tribalism and Patrimonialism; The Tsarist Administration and its Impact on Communal Commitment; Tsarist Protectorates; Prospects.  Descriptors: 2000s, ACTORS, archival, book, G, history, Islamic law, mahalla, oqsoqols, pre-Tsarist, reform, SITES, Tsarist.