This book examines the processes of cultural modernization in Mongolia, using as its focus the folk instrument known as the ‘horse-head fiddle’ ( morin khuur ). In telling the story of this folk fiddle, Peter Marsh traces its development from a popular nomadic folk instrument to a powerful icon of Mongolian national identity. The fiddle provides a key example of the integration of rural Mongolian traditions with urban and professional life in the Soviet and post-Soviet eras.