Horizons of Historical Memory of 19th century Kazakh Enlighteners and the Influence of the Intellectual Traditions of the Russian Empire
Dalayeva T.T. Krupko I.V.
4 December 2025Cherkas Global University Press
Bylye Gody
2025#20Issue 41832 - 1842 pp.
This article is devoted to the problem of transformation and evolution of the narratives and horizons of historical memory within Kazakh society, drawing on the works of Kazakh enlighteners of the 19th century. The authors highlight the influence of the intellectual traditions of the Russian Empire, shaped through active mutual exchange and cultural convergence with prominent representatives of the Kazakh intelligentsia, namely Chokan Valikhanov, Abai Kunanbayev, and Ibray Altynsarin. The study addresses the historiographical problem of intellectual transfer between the Russian and Kazakh intelligentsia. The research draws on archival materials from the Central State Archive of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Russian State Historical Archive, and ego-documents (personal correspondence with Russian scholars and officials, travel diaries, and manuscripts), as well as scientific articles by Kazakh authors published in the journals of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society. These sources shed light on how the enlighteners’ ideas were presented and perceived in the 19th century, alongside memoirs of Russian officials, scientists, and travelers. Employing the comparative method, traditional in historical research, the analysis of official and personal archival sources enables the identification of general patterns and distinctive peculiarities of the imperial policy’s influence on the Kazakh intellectual elite during the transition of Kazakh society to the modern era. The works of the aforementioned enlighteners offer an important case for exploring the development of historical knowledge and narratives of historical memory.
cultural memory , historical agency , historical memory , intellectual history , Kazakh enlighteners , Russian Empire
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Abai University, Kazakhstan
Centre for the Rapprochement of Cultures under the auspices of UNESCO, Kazakhstan
Abai University
Centre for the Rapprochement of Cultures under the auspices of UNESCO
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