CROSSROADS IN CULTURAL STUDIES
Fourth International Conference
June 29 - July 2, 2002, Tampere, Finland

Historical and Modern Aspects of Russian Imperial Policy in Central Asia, Siberia and Far East

Organiser: Irena Vladimirsky

Vladimirsky, Irena (Achva College of Education, Israel) BOLSHEVIKS VERSUS THE KAZAK TRADITIONAL AUL
Up to 1925 the Bolshevik failed in their efforts to transform the traditional Kazak aul according to the spirit of Marxist-Leninist doctrine. Economic reforms, which settled numerous land and water problems, were held during 1921-1922 with a certain success but they did not solve the main problem - sovietization of Kazak nomadic aul. Kazak aul continued to live as hundreds of years before with its strict social structure and traditional values. Communication of tribal leaders with Bolshevik authorities was exactly the same as with their predecessors. In order to change this abnormal situation it was decided to make a reform on sovietization of Kazak traditional aul. Election campaign to local aul Soviets in 1926 was held with a vast ideological support - "Red Uirts" caravans were organized, Bolshevik commissars were sent to the steppe for the search of potential voters, meetings of aul' poor were held. In order to speed up the sovietization process an artificial organization of Kazak poor the "Koshchi Union" was organized in 1927. First elections to aul Soviet showed that more than 90% of the aul Soviets belonged to the tribal elite, next elections were decided to held in 1927 with a recommendation for auls to vote for the representatives of the "Koshchi Union". Till the end of 1928 Bolshevik succeeded to reduce percent of tribal elite representatives in the Soviet to 56% but is still was not enough. As a final measure it was decided to held redistribution of property inside the Kazak aul and to confiscate the property of the rich "feudal" bais. This was only an introduction to the "Kazak national tragedy" which followed several years later.

Keller, Shoshana (Hamilton College, USA) GOVERNING SOVIET CENTRAL ASIA: THE CENTRAL ASIAN BUREAU AS A TOOL OF CENTRAL POLICY
In 1921 Central Asia consisted of the province of Turkestan and two semi-independent kingdoms, Bukhara and Khorezm. The Bolsheviks needed to gain the trust of Turkestanis, restore the shattered economy, and build their new Communist society in conditions that Marx never envisioned. The Communist Party founded the Central Asian Bureau, or Sredazburo TsK VKP(b), to act as Moscow's regent in Turkestan. The bureau served as the de facto government from 1922 to 1934. My paper will focus on the role the bureau played in the border delimination of 1924 and its subsequent nurturing of the Central Asian Communist parties. The major point is that Sredazburo was an essential institution in the creation of Soviet Central Asia, in both political and cultural senses. The bureau's decisions in drawing the borders 77 years ago have an important effect on current tensions among the republics.

Abashin, Sergei (Russian Academy of Science, Russia) ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY OF THE RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES IN TURKESTAN (1865-1917)
Central Asia became a part of the Russian Empire since 1865. Conquering of Central Asia was not an easy task and to rule a new territory was not an easy task as well. The key question in the policy of Russian authorities in Turkestan was the question of the land property among the sedentary local population (Uzbeks, Tadjiks, Uighurs). In Central Asia it was told about two different forms of land property - common land property and private land property. Tsarist Authorities supported a private land property by all possible means. After the Bolshevik revolution it was decided to support a private land property in order to gain a support for the new power among the local population. Slowly private land property became more and more limited and institution of commune land property was supported instead. Discussions in Central Asian Bureau on the land policy led to a number of land reforms in Central Asia, none of them were really successful.

Knysh, Alexander (University of Michigan, USA) MUSLIM RESISTANCE MOVEMENTS IN THE NORTHERN CAUCASUS: BETWEEN “SUFISM” AND “WAHHABISM”
This paper will focus on the complex and ambivalent relations between the “traditional” (or “nativist”) Islam of the mountaineer societies of Chechnya, Inghushetia, and Daghestan and the new, “puritan,” version of the Islamic religion, known locally as “Wahhabism.” The latter is believed to have been “imported” into the area form the countries of the Arabian Peninsula (primarily Saudi Arabia and the Gulf), Pakistan and Afghanistan over the past decade. The followers of “traditional” Caucasian Islam are usually affiliated with one of the local mystical (Sufi) brotherhoods (wirds). They place themselves under the authority of their spiritual leaders, shaykhs (lit. “elders”) and ustadhs (lit. “masters”) and respect the local customary law (‘adat), alongside the official Muslim law (shari‘a). They are also deeply integrated into the traditional clan structure of mountaineer societies. The “Wahhabis”, on the other hand, strongly oppose the beliefs and practices of the “traditionalist” Muslims, viewing them as serious violations of the “pure” Islam of the primeval Muslim community of Medina. For them, the practitioners of “traditional” Islam are grave sinners, if not outright unbelievers. The paper examines the ways in which the recent military conflicts between the Chechen separatists and the Russian Federal troops and the attendant atrocities perpetrated by both sides, have contributed to the rise and escalation of the “Wahhabi” movement in the area. The paper addresses the role of the Russian media in creating and sustaining the image of “Wahhabism” as a nearly demonic nemesis of the Russian state, which should be eliminated at all cost.