Grant funding project (2024–2026)
The specifics of Kazakh-Russian relations in the Kazakh Urals: the relationship of ideology and practice in the historical aspect
Specifics of Kazakh–Russian Relations in the Kazakhstani Ural: The Interconnection of Ideology and Practice in a Historical Perspective (IRN AP23487682)
Implementation period: 2024–2026
Project goal: to reveal the key principles and reasons behind the colonization policy of the Russian Empire in the Kazakhstani Ural, taking into account the presence of a distinct military estate and subethnic group (the Cossacks).
The main idea of the project is to show the process of interaction between the Kazakh and Russian populations, considering their causes, motives, and actions. The relevance of the study is also underscored by the fact that in the territory of the Kazakhstani Ural, the first contacts were established between Kazakhs and Cossacks, who at the initial stage essentially shared a similar—i.e., nomadic—culture. Only after the Kazakhstani Ural and the Ural Cossack Host came under the authority of Russian rulers did a new phase of Kazakh–Russian relations begin.
Project objectives (some of them):
- to study the specifics of settlers’ oral folklore (Cossack tales) in order to examine the history of relations (interethnic interaction), and others.
- to uncover the reasons for the beginning of Cossack colonization and its outcomes;
- to determine the historical and geographical conditions of economic activity among nomads and settlers;
- to identify the main conceptual approaches used to justify “civilizing” ideology toward the indigenous population;
- to identify the main forms of intercultural communication, both peaceful (fairs, etc.) and military (raids and punitive expeditions);
- to analyze the main practical forms of colonization, such as migration and peasant resettlement, the permit/ticket (pass) system, trade and monetary relations, and types of economic activity (crafts, agriculture, logistics);
