Seeking book recommendations: Mongol Unification and comtemporary Tengriism/religious history

[Herbert West]

See title.

I have read The Secret History, and I know enough of general eurasian shamanism to get my way around a hole in the earth, but my knowledge of Tengriism is limited.

Preferably academic/semi-academic works, less pop history.

@Semper Victor
@Tufto

 

[Semper Victor]

See title.

I have read The Secret History, and I know enough of general eurasian shamanism to get my way around a hole in the earth, but my knowledge of Tengriism is limited.

Preferably academic/semi-academic works, less pop history.

@Semper Victor
@Tufto

My knowledge of "Tengriism" (which is possibly a modern Western scholarly cathegory like "Hinduism", rather than a real "religion" that existed as such in the steppe) and history of the Mongols is quite limited, as my interest generally stops with the fall of the Türk Khaganate and the Tang dinasty in China. My advice would be for you to open a free account as just a "freelance researcher" at academia.edu; you'll find lots of academic papers in there, many of them by well-respected scholars. I regularly raid the place in search of info for my favorite subjects.

 

[Black Turtle]

My knowledge of "Tengriism" (which is possibly a modern Western scholarly cathegory like "Hinduism", rather than a real "religion" that existed as such in the steppe) and history of the Mongols is quite limited, as my interest generally stops with the fall of the Türk Khaganate and the Tang dinasty in China. My recommendation would be for you to open a free account as a just a "freelance researcher" at academia.edu; you'll find lots of academic papers in there. many of them by well-respected scholars. i regularly raid the place in search of info for my preferred subjects.

A lot of -isms were basically created because the West needed every society to have a "religion." The reality is that all non-monotheistic religions like Christianity and Islam basically believed in some form of polytheism that worshipped whatever they could get their hands on.

 

[Herbert West]

A lot of -isms were basically created because the West needed every society to have a "religion." The reality is that all non-monotheistic religions like Christianity and Islam basically believed in some form of polytheism that worshipped whatever they could get their hands on.

Yes, I am aware. If it pleases you, I will use "13th century Mongolian shamanic sincretism" instead, but you know, shorthands.

 

[HuzzButt]

The study of ancient Mongolian/Turkic and Tibetan religion isn't very straight forward. Many institutions omit specific litterature on the matters of Tengriism and Bön, Stockholm University for example uses Encyclopedia of Religions (1987). Part of the problem is that what is know of Tengriism and Bön isn't historical but a living memory. Essentially the same historiographic issue as with the aboriginal religions in Australia. That's not to say there isn't any good literature on the subject, Edward Allworth's 130 years of Russian Dominance (1994) or Birgit Schlyters Changing Language Loyalties in Central Asia (2004), otoh both are linguistic but very good.