Sacred Plants and Animals in Central Asia (Book)

Sacred Plants and Animals in Central Asia is a study by French historian and orientalist Jean-Paul Roux examining the sacred relationships between the Altai Turks and nature. This work, translated into Turkish in 2023 by Dergâh Yayınları, is regarded as an extension of Roux’s earlier study titled Death among the Altai Turks. The book explores the sacred meanings assigned by Altai peoples to plants and animals within social and cosmological contexts.

In this work, Roux emphasizes that the plants and animals shaping the lives and environments of the Altai Turks are not merely biological entities but also sacred beings imbued with social and religious significance. The book traces the transition of these beings through human-animal-plant relationships, centered on shamanism and sacred figures. By conducting a historical anthropology of nomadic communities beyond modern dualisms—such as spirit-body, individual-society, and inner-outer—Roux contributes to a deeper understanding of a distinct mode of existence.

• Unity of Life: Roux argues that the distinction between humans, animals, and plants is a modern conceptual framework, and instead proposes the idea of the “unity of life.”
• Understanding the Sacred: He highlights the uniqueness of non-Abrahamic conceptions of the sacred.
• Inter-Species Conception of Life: He opens the door to an inter-species understanding of life that transcends modern notions of social organization.

Jean-Paul Roux (1925–2016) was a French historian, orientalist, and expert on Central Asia. Roux produced extensive research on the cultural and religious structures of Central Asian peoples, and is particularly known for his works on the Altai Turks and the Mongols. His writings remain essential sources for understanding the historical and cultural fabric of Central Asia.