Inhabitants of Orenburg Region in Transactions of the Orenburg Branch of the Russian Geographical Society, 1867–1917: Tracing the Evolution of Images

Goals. The article examines the evolution of the image of Orenburg region’s inhabitants in works authored by members of the Orenburg Branch of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society from 1867 to 1917. Materials and methods. The article is based on historical sources, such as the Zapiski and Izvestiya of the Orenburg Branch of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society. The scholarly series would articulate public opinions and include as follows: articles by members of the Society (military and civil officers, teachers, local historians); reports on expeditions and meetings; publications of archival documents and folklore narratives; polemical notes (e.g., criticism of Altynsarin’s works); maps, statistical tables, protocols and minutes. In terms of methodology, the work rests on tools of imagological analysis and critical source research applied to publications of the Orenburg Branch of the Russian Geographical Society. Results. The specified evolution was conditioned by a variety of political, social and research methodological factors. The paper distinguishes a total of three key stages in the development of that scholarly discourse: classical imperial one (1860s–1880s), ethnographic one (1890s – early 1900s), and that of provincialization (1905–1917). At the first stage,images were formed under the influence of military-administrative tasks, which was mirrored in stereotypical descriptions of the peoples of the region. The dominance of the military-administrative approach was explained by the imperial objectives of integrating the territory. Orenburg lands were perceived as a border zone requiring control, and that would be confirmed with stereotypical images of Kazakhs as ‘barbarian nomads’ and Russian settlers as ‘agents of civilization’. After the abolition of Orenburg Governor General’s Office (1881), the scholarly discourse became less ideology-driven, which made it possible to secure more objective studies. The second stage is characterized by detailed insights into cultural diversities, rejections of simplified clichés, and increased attention to cultural interactions. These were given rise to by local intellectuals (teachers, local historians) who ― by contrast with officials ― did pay attention to cultural aspects and folk traditions. The growth of interest toward ethnography and folklore was mirroring the then all-Russia trends, including that of Narodism. The third stage was associated with the reduction of research to specifically practical issues, which led to somewhat simplified and fragmented images. The shift of focus to Turgai Steppe in 1900–1917 was caused by the Stolypin agrarian reforms and the need to deal with land conflicts. This narrowed the research agenda and made images of native inhabitants less expressive. The study shows how political, social and methodological factors influenced the shaping of the image ascribed to the region and its inhabitants throughout the defined period.

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