Statistical Expeditions of the Russian Empire and the Formation of the Source Base for the History of Kazakhstan: the Case of Materials on Kyrgyz Land Use
Tassilova N.A.
1 March 2026Cherkas Global University Press
Bylye Gody
2026#21Issue 1377 - 387 pp.
This article presents a source-critical analysis of the multi-volume publication “Materials on Kyrgyz Land Use” as one of the key source complexes for the history of Kazakh society in the late XIX and early XX centuries. The study reveals the informational potential of this corpus, which reflects socio-economic development, forms of land use and economic activity, demographic conditions and the historical-geographical features of the settlement patterns of the Kazakh population. Particular attention is given to data on auls, uezds and volosts of the Syr-Darya, Akmolinsk, Semipalatinsk, Ural and Turgai oblasts, making it possible to identify regional differences and shared patterns in the development of traditional society during the transformations at the turn of the century. It is demonstrated that the scholarly value of “Materials on Kyrgyz Land Use” is determined not only by the extensive territorial coverage and the diversity of the recorded data, but also by the methodological principles underlying their collection. The materials were obtained through specially organized statistical expeditions employing questionnaires, quantitative calculations, field observations and cartographic work, which ensured a high degree of systematicity and comparability of the information. The article notes that the data presented in the “Materials on Kyrgyz Land Use” have been extensively employed by both national and international researchers and remain significant for current historical scholarship. It argues that a comprehensive application of this source enables the reconstruction of a well-grounded socio-economic and historical-geographical profile of Kazakh society in the late XIX and early XX centuries, while also contributing to a clearer understanding of the processes through which imperial knowledge was produced within the framework of colonial policy, administrative management, scientific activity and center-periphery relations in the Russian Empire during the period under study.
colonial administration , historical geography , imperial statistical expeditions , Kazakh society , land use , Materials on Kyrgyz Land Use , resettlement processes , Russian Empire , socio-economic history , source studies
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Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026