Sacred Plants and Animals in Central Asia (Book)

Sacred Plants and Animals in Central Asia (Orta Asya'da Kutsal Bitkiler ve Hayvanlar) is a work by the French historian and orientalist Jean-Paul Roux that examines the sacred relationship between Altaic Turks and nature. Translated into Turkish in 2023 by Dergâh Publications, this work is considered an extension of Roux's book Death Among the Altaic Turks. The book addresses the sacred meanings that the Altaic peoples attribute to plants and animals within a social and cosmological context.

Subject and Content

In this work, Roux emphasizes that the plants and animals that shape the lives and environments of the Altaic Turks are not merely biological entities but also sacred beings with social and religious meanings. The book examines the transition between human-animal-plant relationships through the lens of shamanism and sacred figures. By conducting a historical anthropology of nomadic societies, Roux contributes to the understanding of a different mode of existence beyond modern dualisms such as mind-body, individual-society, and inner-outer.

Themes

• The Unity of Life: Roux addresses the idea of the "unity of life," arguing that the distinction between human, animal, and plant is a modern conceptual framework.
• Understanding Sacredness: The originality of conceptions of sacredness outside of Abrahamic religions is demonstrated.
• Interspecies Life Concept: The work opens the door to an understanding of interspecies life beyond modern species-centric sociality.

About the Author

Jean-Paul Roux (1925–2016) was a French historian, orientalist, and Central Asia expert. Roux conducted extensive studies on the cultural and religious structures of Central Asian peoples and is known for his works on the Altaic Turks and Mongols. Roux's works are considered important resources for understanding the historical and cultural structure of Central Asia.