Kalmykia’s Ethnographic Science during the Rebuilding Period (1960-1970): an Overview of the History of Development

Abstract

Analyzing the earliest collected ethnographic papers, the article aims to study the history of how the source basis of Kalmyk ethnography was formed and compiled during the restoration of the autonomy of Kalmykia in the latter half of the 20th century. It is impossible to understand present-day ethnographic science of Kalmykia, its social and spiritual functions without due critical re-evaluation of the accumulated research experience, which makes the study even more topical. The article used studies on Kalmyk ethnography - including bibliographic data about the latter - implemented after the Kalmyks were allowed to return to their ancestral lands and restore the autonomy. Like all research studies of the Soviet period implemented and published under the Communist rule, the works of the 1960-1970s mirrored the emotional state of the society dramatically influenced by social and political issues. Still, the researchers were able to commit to paper the then ethnic processes and make certain steps on the way towards the establishment of fundamentals for further classification and typology, which are urgent for the creation of a complete and reliable system of ideas about the changes within the Soviet community. The bibliometrical research method was applied for the analysis of historiographic materials, which helped examine the problem in chronological sequence. Special attention was paid to the earliest ethnographic research papers comprising a number of scholarly studies, including some excerpts from theses. The paper concludes that the period under consideration is characterized by vigorous research activities of Kalmykia’s scholars, who within a relatively short space of time were able to discover and introduce into scientific discourse new data on the ethnography of the Kalmyk people, and with evidence from a wide range of sources - including own field studies - to systemize and classify them, with due theoretical conclusions. However, many aspects remained understudied, the ethnographic science was only being established. So, the first ethnographers elaborated the themes related to their theses, leaving some issues behind. During the period the first professional ethnographers were trained - university graduates and candidates of sciences (‘Ph. D.’). In 1970, the first doctor-of-sciences (‘Sc. D.’) thesis in ethnography was defended in Kalmykia. Despite the monoideological surroundings, Kalmykia’s ethnographers attained significant results, which were their contribution to the restoration and rebuilding of the republic.