Passportization in Tuva: Historiographic Aspects

Introduction. The article presents an analysis into scholarly works, archival materials and periodical editions dealing with the passportization of Tuvans in the era of the Tuvan People’s Republic and Soviet Tuva. Goals. The paper attempts a historiographic review of sources that can shed light on the passportization of Tuva’s citizens. No special studies have been conducted on the passportization of Tuva’s population or its consequences due to unavailability of related materials, which makes the insight relevant enough. Materials and methods. The study focuses on nationwide studies of passportization processes in the Soviet Union selected for drawing parallels with the passportization of Tuva’s population, as well as on works of Tuvan researchers who have turned to some aspects of the issue. The key findings have been secured by insights into archival documents and periodicals of the Tuvan People’s Republic and Soviet Tuva (1940s) that have proved most instrumental in tracing certain stages and essentials of the passportization processes. The involved original field data help understand some anthroponymic consequences of the passportization. The study rests on the principle of historicism and objectivity that reveal the designated processes in their historical development. The comparative historical method has been used to analyze the TPR’s passportization with due regard of certain aspects of similar processes in the Soviet Union at large. Results. The first group of sources consists of scholarly works dealing with nationwide issues and examining various aspects of passportization in the USSR. The second group of sources consists of works by Tuvan authors. However, these works address the topic in question indirectly, fragmentarily, as part of research on other topics and nothing more. Nevertheless, these scholars’ efforts are crucial for identifying key areas of concern in the aspect under study. Finally, the third group of sources includes regulatory archival documents and periodicals from the Tuvan People’s Republic and Soviet Tuva. Insights into these documents completely reconstruct the passportization process, which makes it possible to identify its key stages and results, including those related to Tuvan anthroponymy.

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