Nikolay Kradin

Nikolay Nikolaevich Kradin (born in Onokhoy, Buryatia, USSR on April 17, 1962) is a Russian anthropologist and archaeologist. Since 1985 he has been a Research Fellow of the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology, Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Vladivostok. He is also (since 1999) Head and Professor of the Department of Social Anthropology in the Far-Eastern National Technical University.

Education

• B.A., M.A. Irkutsk State University, 1985

• Ph.D., Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology, Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Vladivostok, 1990

• Dr.Sc., Institute of Oriental Studies (St.Petersburg Branch), Russian Academy of Sciences, 1999

Major contributions

Nikolay Kradin's major contributions belong to three fields:

• (1) anthropology and social history of the Eurasian nomads;

• (2) political anthropology and theory of the state formation;

Among other things Kradin has demonstrated that an alternative to the state seems to be represented by the supercomplex chiefdoms created by some nomads of Eurasia – the number of the structural levels within such chiefdoms appear to be equal, or even to exceed those within the average state, but they have an entirely different type of political organization and political leadership; such type of political entities do not appear to have been ever created by the agriculturists.^[1]

• (3) social archaeology of the nomadic empires.

Kradin has written over 8 books and 300 articles dealing with his research interests. These include Nomadic Societies (1992 in Russian), The Xiongnu Empire (1966, 2001, 2002 in Russian), Political Anthropology (2001, 2004, 2010 in Russian), Chinggis Khan Empire (in co-authorship with T.Skrynnikova, 2006 in Russian), Nomads of Eurasia (2007 in Russian).

Selected recent publications in English

• Alternatives of Social Evolution: An Introduction // Alternatives of Social Evolution. Ed. by N.Kradin, A.Korotayev, V.de Munck, V.Lynsha et al. Vladivostok: Dal'nauka, 2000. P. 27–89.

• Kradin, Nikolay N. 2000. Nomadic Empires in Evolutionary Perspective. In Alternatives of Social Evolution. Ed. by N.N. Kradin, A.V. Korotayev, Dmitri Bondarenko, V. de Munck, and P.K. Wason (p. 274-288). Vladivostok: Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences; reprinted in: The Early State, its Alternatives and Analogues. Ed. by Leonid Grinin et al. (р. 501-524). Volgograd: Uchitel', 2004.

• Kradin, Nikolay N. 2002. Nomadism, Evolution, and World-Systems: Pastoral Societies in Theories of Historical Development. Journal of World-System Research 8: 368-388.

• Kradin, Nikolay N. 2003. Nomadic Empires: Origins, Rise, Decline. In Nomadic Pathways in Social Evolution. Ed. by N.N. Kradin, Dmitri Bondarenko, and T. Barfield (p. 73-87). Moscow: Center for Civilizational Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences.

• Kradin, Nikolay N. 2006. Archaeological Criteria of Civilization. Social Evolution & History 5: 89-108.

• Kradin, Nikolay N. 2006. Cultural Complexity of Pastoral Nomads. World Cultures 15: 171-189.

• Kradin, Nikolay N., Skrynnikova Tatiana D. 2006. Why do we call Chinggis Khan's Polity 'an Empire'. Ab Imperio 2006 (1): 89-118.

• Kradin, Nikolay N. 2008. Structure of Power in Nomadic Empires of Inner Asia: Anthropological Approach. In: Hierarchy and Power in the History of Civilizations: Ancient and Medieval Cultures. Ed. By L.E.Grinin, D.D.Beliaev, and A.V.Korotayev. Moscow: URSS, 2008, p. 98-124.

• Kradin, Nikolay N. 2008. Early State Theory and the Evolution of Pastoral Nomads. Social Evolution & History 7 (1): 107-130.

• Kradin, Nikolay N. 2009. State Origins in Anthropological Thought. Social Evolution & History 8 (1): 25-51.

• Kradin, Nikolay N., Skrynnikova Tatiana D. 2009. "Stateless Head": Notes on Revisionism in the Studies of Nomadic Societies. Ab Imperio 2009 (4): 117-128.

• Kradin, Nikolay N. 2010. Between Khans and Presidents. Anthropology of Politics in Post-Soviet Central Asia. Social Evolution & History 9 (1): 150-172.

Publications about Nikolay Kradin

• Dmitri Bondarenko, Leonid Grinin, and Andrey Korotayev. Alternative Pathways of Social Evolution. Social Evolution & History 1/1: 63-66 (assessment of Kradin's findings).

Notes

1. ^ See, e.g., Kradin N. et al. Alternatives of Social Evolution: An Introduction // Alternatives of Social Evolution. Ed. by N.Kradin, A.Korotayev, V.de Munck, V.Lynsha et al. Vladivostok: Dal'nauka, 2000. P. 27–89; Kradin, Nikolay N. 2000. Nomadic Empires in Evolutionary Perspective. In Alternatives of Social Evolution. Ed. by N.N. Kradin, A.V. Korotayev, Dmitri Bondarenko, V. de Munck, and P.K. Wason (p. 274-288). Vladivostok: Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences; reprinted in: The Early State, its Alternatives and Analogues. Ed. by Leonid Grinin et al. (р. 501-524). Volgograd: Uchitel', 2004; Kradin, Nikolay N. 2002. Nomadism, Evolution, and World-Systems: Pastoral Societies in Theories of Historical Development. Journal of World-System Research 8: 368-388; Kradin, Nikolay N. 2003. Nomadic Empires: Origins, Rise, Decline. In Nomadic Pathways in Social Evolution. Ed. by N.N. Kradin, Dmitri Bondarenko, and T. Barfield (p. 73-87). Moscow: Center for Civilizational Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences.

External links

• Nikolay Kradin
• Nikolay Kradin is a member of Editorial Board of Social Evolution & History journal

Persondata
Name	Kradin, Nikolay
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Date of birth	April 17, 1962
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