History of civilizations of Central Asia. Vol. 3, The crossroads of civilizations: A.D. 250 to 750 / B.A. Litvinsky ; co-editors : Zhang Guang-da and R. Shabani Samghabadi

V. 1. The dawn of civilization: earliest times to 700 B.C. -- v. 2. The development of sedentary and nomadic civilizations: 700 B.C. to A.D. 250 -- v. 3. The crossroads of civilizations: A.D. 250 to 750 -- v. 4. The age of achievement: A.D. 750 to the end of the fifteenth century. pt. 1. The historical, social and economic setting. pt. 2. The achievements -- v. 5. Development in contrast: from the sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth century -- v. 6. Towards contemporary period: from the mid-nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth century.

Burnout is common among doctors in the West, so one might assume that a medical career in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, would place far greater strain on the idealism that drives many doctors. But, as A Heart for the Work makes clear, Malawian medical students learn to confront poverty creatively, experiencing fatigue and frustration but also joy and commitment on their way to becoming physicians. The first ethnography of medical training in the global South, Claire L. Wendland's book is a moving and perceptive look at medicine in a world where the transnational movement of people and ideas creates both devastation and possibility.Wendland, a physician anthropologist, conducted extensive interviews and worked in wards, clinics, and operating theaters alongside the student doctors whose stories she relates. From the relative calm of Malawi's College of Medicine to the turbulence of training at hospitals with gravely ill patients and dramatically inadequate supplies, staff, and technology, Wendland's work reveals the way these young doctors engage the contradictions of their circumstances, shedding new light on debates about the effects of medical training, the impact of traditional healing, and the purposes of medicine.

Part One: The Historical, Social and Economic SettingDuring the eight centuries covered in this volume, the new faith of Islam arose in Arabia and gradually spread eastwards and northwards, eventually affecting much of Central Asia, the southern fringes of Siberia and the eastern regions of China. These were also the centuries in which nomadic and military empires arose in the heart of Asia, impinging on the history of adjacent, well-established civilizations and cultures (China, India, Islamic Western Asia and Christian eastern and central Europe) to an unparalleled extent. Lamaist Buddhism established itself inthe Mongolian region and in Tibet and Islam among the Turkish people of Transoxania, southern Siberia and Xinjiang. It was in Eastern Europe, above all in Russia, that the Turco-Mongol Golden Horde was to have a major, enduring influence on the course of the region's history. In this third volume covering the flourishing period from the third to the eighth century A.D., scholars describe the powerful role played by the Sasanian state in Iran, the Gupta empire in India and the T'ang dynasty in China. Waves of nomadic migrations and the formation of steppe empires left their mark on political and social life. This multi-ethnic society had its roots in the great religious traditions of Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Christianity and Shamanism. The islamization of a great part of the region brought fundamental changes to all aspects of life. Intensive trade along the Silk Route encouraged cultural and scientific exchanges, making this period one of impressive artistic and intellectual creativity. Volume II presents an account of various population movements and cultural exchanges in Central Asia between 700 B.C. and 250 A.D. Important nomadic tribal cultures such as the Kushans emerged during this period. Contacts between the Mediterranean and the Indus Valley were reinforced by the campaigns of Alexander the Great and, under his successors, the progressive syncretism between Zoroastrianism, Greek religion and Buddhism gave rise to a new civilization instituted by the Parthians, known for its artistic creations. Under Kushan rule, Central Asia became the crossroads of a prosperous trade between the Mediterranean and China along the Silk Route. The present volume deals with the ancient period in the history of civilizations in Central Asia, when the earliest human cultures emerged and determined to a considerable extent the later developments of local cultures and peoples. At the same time, the main trends in historical developments, namely, the steady progress in the cultural evolution as a general rule as well as regional diversities, become evident even in the case of these most ancient times.

This report is one of a series documenting the New Zealand Land Resource Inventory (NZLRI)