Facing Challenges of Identification: Investigating Identities of Buryats and Their Neighbor Peoples
Facing Challenges of Identification: Investigating Identities of Buryats and Their Neighbor Peoples
Contributor(s): Kamil Maria Wielecki (Editor), Ivan Peshkov (Editor)
Subject(s): Anthropology, Social Sciences, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Buryats; Inner Asia; anthropology; identity; ethnicity; Buddhism
Summary/Abstract: The volume discusses the dynamically changing identities among Buryats and other nations of Eastern Siberia and Inner Asia. The wide range of articles has been organized into three clusters – Ethnicity and Nation-Building Processes, Buddhist Identities, and Landscape and Indigenization. Some of the papers present anthropological empirical research of particular groups, while other adopt a perspective of literary or ecological studies. Constituting an interdisciplinary endeavor, the volume tries thus to link the diverse phenomena under investigation and different research methodologies, and to show them in a wider context of historical and transnational processes. Lastly, it aims at bringing new theoretical perspectives to studies of nations and peoples of broadly understood Inner Asia.
Series: Monografie Libal
- E-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-4733-4
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-4725-9
- Page Count: 303
- Publication Year: 2020
- Language: English
Identifying Local People: Colonial and Postcolonial Practices in Central Asia
Identifying Local People: Colonial and Postcolonial Practices in Central Asia
(Identifying Local People: Colonial and Postcolonial Practices in Central Asia)
- Author(s):Jan Kieniewicz
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:23-47
- No. of Pages:25
- Keywords:identity; colonialism; Central Asia; Great Game; ethnicity; nation-building processes; postcolonial theory
- Summary/Abstract:The article addresses the influence on Central Asian reality exerted by naming and the practice of identifying the peoples inhabiting this area by dominant Others. I note that the identification of those human communities was always an act of aggression that led to establishing a relation between rulers and those subordinate to them. I submit that what joins various epochs in the history of the human communities of Central Asia is not imperialism but rather colonialism, and propose describing those processes by means of a systemic concept of colonialism. Imperial practice in Central Asia was based on subordinating tribal communities and non-national states without deeper interference into their inner structures. Up until the 20th century the three great powers jockeyed above all to block one another. The change following the collapse of the USSR did not lead to the creation of regional independence. Rather, the national identities of the new states are a product of the modernization compelled by Soviet policies. This especially concerns small communities that, always valuing their autonomy, did not strike observers-explorers as material for nations. The preponderance of the external point of view along with the influence of images arisen in the dominant surrounding (including that of science) maintain these local communities in a state of backwardness. Identification and classification remain an effective tool for blocking their path toward establishing a new identity.
Buryat Ethnic Identity at Various Stages of Ethnic History
Buryat Ethnic Identity at Various Stages of Ethnic History
(Buryat Ethnic Identity at Various Stages of Ethnic History)
- Author(s):Bair Nanzatov, Marina Sodnompilova
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:49-63
- No. of Pages:15
- Keywords:Buryats; ethnic identity; genealogical myth; ethnic history; self-presentation
- Summary/Abstract:This article sets out to study the process of uniting the Buryat community and the relevance of different levels of ethnic identity as reflected in genealogical myths. Among important markers of the ethnic self-presentation of Buryats were mythical ancestors of the Buryat people (Bulagat, Ekhirit, Zonkhi, etc.). The emergence of these characters is closely connected with the history of the development of the Buryat people and reflects certain stages in the consolidation of ethnic groups into a united community that calls itself“ the Buryats.” The earliest of these stages (in the early Middle Ages) is reflected in the genealogical myth of Bulagat, Ekhirit and Khoridoi and their heavenly wives – swan maidens. In the 14th–17th centuries, the Baikal region saw a new wave of ethnogenesis, marked by consolidation of large tribes of Bulagats, Ekhirits, Khori-Tumats and other ethnic groups into a single community opposed to the Mongols. During this period, the storylines of the main Buryat ethnogenetic myths were revitalized and new characters were added to the genealogy that represented different ethnic groups of the Buryats.
Buryat Ethnic Self-Identification: New Trends and Aspects in the 21st Century
Buryat Ethnic Self-Identification: New Trends and Aspects in the 21st Century
(Buryat Ethnic Self-Identification: New Trends and Aspects in the 21st Century)
- Author(s):Marina Sodnompilova, Bair Nanzatov
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:65-77
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:territoriality; genealogy; identity; elites; tribalism
- Summary/Abstract:The post-Soviet period in the history of ethnic development of the Buryat people is marked by a mobilization of ethnic identity and ethnoterritorial self-organization. At present, communities based on the territorial principle are losing their importance. Tribal unions of Buryats have become an alternative, and their reconstruction has become an urgent task of modernity. Today, the Buryats of the Khongodor and Khori tribes follow this path of self-organization. The idea has also won support from other groups, like the Bulagats and Ekhirits. In the context of this process, ethnic ideologems and mythologems (the mythical ancestors of the Buryats, epic heroes) serve as mobilization symbols of national cultural revival.
Alternative History: Creation, Use and Interpretation of Buryat Genealogies
Alternative History: Creation, Use and Interpretation of Buryat Genealogies
(Alternative History: Creation, Use and Interpretation of Buryat Genealogies)
- Author(s):Ayur Zhanaev
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:79-98
- No. of Pages:20
- Keywords:genealogies; kinship; social order; history; elites
- Summary/Abstract:Group identities are often built on genealogies. Buryat culture appears to conform to this general rule. Elaborate Buryat historical genealogies have been written and preserved. Today, scholars regard them as a key source of insight into the structure and character of Buryat society. Most scholars treat Buryat genealogies exclusively as descriptions of kinship systems. In keeping with a rich anthropological literature, Buryat culture appears to fit into the paradigm of kinship as the “irreducible principle,” “atom” or an “elementary structure,” which, as the complexity of society grew, ceased to be the central organizational principle in favor of the state, politics, economy, etc. However, this interpretation occludes the meaning of Buryat genealogies as carriers of historical memory and understanding of the world. By insisting on treating it in ethnographic categories, the academic view of Buryat culture reduces the Buryat society to the level of a primordial one. In this article, I will use the findings of my fieldwork to briefly introduce the historical context of the Buryat genealogies in the broadly defined pre-Soviet, Soviet and post-Soviet periods. I am interested in the motives of those who created these genealogies, and the place these documents occupy in the contemporary Buryat society and culture. I will also note the coincidence of a revival of interest among Buryats in their genealogies in the 1970s and 1980s with the rise of Soviet modernization’s power to suppress local cultures.
The Spirit that Permeates the Human Soul: Anthropology, National Epic, and Nation-Building in Kyrgyzstan
The Spirit that Permeates the Human Soul: Anthropology, National Epic, and Nation-Building in Kyrgyzstan
(The Spirit that Permeates the Human Soul: Anthropology, National Epic, and Nation-Building in Kyrgyzstan)
- Author(s):Kamil Maria Wielecki
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:99-131
- No. of Pages:33
- Keywords:Epic of Manas; nation-building; national ideology; Kyrgyzstan; Askar Akaev; anthropology
- Summary/Abstract:The paper discusses the uses of the myth of Manas in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan. Manas, the biggest cultural hero of the Kyrgyz people, is considered the Father of the nation. The Epic of Manas, in turn, is considered the longest ever written, and serves as a synecdoche for all Kyrgyz culture. Based on my ethnographic fieldwork research, I argue that the content of the epic has only a loose connection to ways in which it has been applied in practice as a key element in the Kyrgyz nation-building process after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. I briefly refer to the content of the epic and a few theories on its provenance. Next, I describe Manas Ordo – a big architectural complex built around the symbolic tomb of Manas – as well as many controversies attached to the place. Finally, I describe the national policies of post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan’s first president, Askar Akaev, and comment on the crucial role of native anthropology in the construction of national ideology in contemporary Kyrgyzstan.
Buddhism and Orthodoxy in Buryatia: Religious Interaction in the Context of Russian Imperial Politics
Buddhism and Orthodoxy in Buryatia: Religious Interaction in the Context of Russian Imperial Politics
(Buddhism and Orthodoxy in Buryatia: Religious Interaction in the Context of Russian Imperial Politics)
- Author(s):Darima Amogolonova
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:135-151
- No. of Pages:17
- Keywords:Buryats; Buddhism; Orthodoxy; Christianization; Russian Empire; Russification; state identity; spiritual space
- Summary/Abstract:This paper deals with the problems of religious coexistence in late-imperial Russia based on the case of Buryatia. The only state religion – Russian Orthodoxy – saw its task in converting the non-Russians by all possible means and in shortest time. This policy coincided with the interests of the state, as religious homogenization was considered the most effective way to achieve the desired loyalty and patriotism among all subjects of the Empire. Buddhism, which according to the Orthodox clergy was a so-called foreign religion, presented a potential threat to the state, as its believers could be under influences from abroad. The author argues that the secular authorities both in St. Petersburg and in Eastern Siberia faced a dilemma that consisted in the necessity to conduct Russification among non-Russians and simultaneously to strengthen the borders of the Empire in the East. The Buryat subjects were officially allowed to confess Buddhism, since the authorities, being aware of danger from Qing China, needed a balanced policy towards them to avoid discontent and disturbances. Under such conditions, the Orthodox clergy, missionaries in particular, disregarding the damage their intolerance could cause to the state’s interests, became opponents to Siberian officials, accusing them of supporting Buddhism and Buddhist priesthood instead of rendering all possible assistance in the Christianization of non-Russians.
Electronic Petitions of Russian Buddhists: a Way of Consolidation or Estrangement?
Electronic Petitions of Russian Buddhists: a Way of Consolidation or Estrangement?
(Electronic Petitions of Russian Buddhists: a Way of Consolidation or Estrangement?)
- Author(s):Bato Dondukov
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:153-176
- No. of Pages:24
- Keywords:Buddhist communities of Russia; crowdsourcing; electronic petitions; consolidation of Buddhists; Buddha Bars; Shivalkha Rinpoche; religious identity
- Summary/Abstract:The article is devoted to the analysis of two electronic petitions created by Russian Buddhists, one protesting the deportation of the Buddhist teacher Shivalkha Rinpoche, the other protesting so-called Buddha Bars throughout Russia. These two causes reflect to some extent the current relationships between different categories of Buddhists, such as the clergy and laymen or traditional and modern Buddhists. The article studies reactions of different communities to these problems and traces differences in Buddhist identifications, as well as the positive or negative impact these reactions have on the consolidation of Buddhists. Finally, I evaluate the efficiency and prospects of e-petitions as a problem-solving method for Buddhists in Russia.
Indigenization of Urban Landscape in Ulan-Ude
Indigenization of Urban Landscape in Ulan-Ude
(Indigenization of Urban Landscape in Ulan-Ude)
- Author(s):Zbigniew Szmyt
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:179-206
- No. of Pages:28
- Keywords:place-making; indigenization; Ulan-Ude; Buryatia; Siberian city; urban anthropology
- Summary/Abstract:The main emphasis of this paper is on Buryat place-making in Ulan-Ude. In order to provide insight into the variety of social behaviors in this regard, attention has been pinpointed upon indigenization of urban landscape and architecture, shamanic activity in the city, new temporalization and local politics of memory. As a consequence of these processes, new indigenous senses of urban space, time and history are established.
Ecological Discourse in the Cross-Border Region of the Selenga River in Russia and Mongolia
Ecological Discourse in the Cross-Border Region of the Selenga River in Russia and Mongolia
(Ecological Discourse in the Cross-Border Region of the Selenga River in Russia and Mongolia)
- Author(s):Darima Bajko
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:207-226
- No. of Pages:20
- Keywords:ecology; borderland regions; water resources; modernity; Russia; Mongolia
- Summary/Abstract:The article traces the development of ecological discourse in a border region of Russia and Mongolia. It is a brief review of major stages of this discourse as reflected by the case of cross-border water resources of the Selenga River basin that merges politically demarcated lands into a single region. The article sets out to establish whether the problem of water resources appeared in past narratives, when exactly the ecological component of the border came into being and how it has changed perspectives on local cultures.
Bam and Bamers: Peculiarities of Identity Formation
Bam and Bamers: Peculiarities of Identity Formation
(Bam and Bamers: Peculiarities of Identity Formation)
- Author(s):Nikolai S. Baikalov
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:227-253
- No. of Pages:27
- Keywords:Siberia; Baikal-Amur Railway Mainline (BAM); late socialism; social identity; Soviet mythology; post-Soviet period
- Summary/Abstract:The regional identity of the population of the Baikal-Amur Region formed over several decades: from the beginning of the Baikal-Amur Railway Mainline (BAM) construction in the 1970s and 1980s and up to the post-Soviet crisis of the 1990s. The Soviet government attracted people to desolate northern territories with high wages, special benefits, and moral incentives. As a result, a separate socio-cultural community of the “Bamovtsy” (BAMers) was formed. The BAM identity was distinguished by heterogeneous hierarchies of subidentities organized on the basis of territorial, chronological, professional, ethnic and other characteristics. The completion of the BAM construction and the disintegration of the Soviet state led to the isolation and economic degradation of BAM regions. Against this background, the Soviet past of BAM became a myth about the “golden age,” which laid the foundation for preserving the former BAM identity, sought by way of many modern behavioral strategies of local residents, including protest actions, victimization, absenteeism, etc. Acting as a basis for the consolidation of local communities, this identity is transformed very slowly owing to migrations and the natural change of generations.
Searching for a New Identity in a New Era: Emergence and Development of Sakha (Yakutia) as an Arctic Region
Searching for a New Identity in a New Era: Emergence and Development of Sakha (Yakutia) as an Arctic Region
(Searching for a New Identity in a New Era: Emergence and Development of Sakha (Yakutia) as an Arctic Region)
- Author(s):Daria Burnasheva
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:255-278
- No. of Pages:24
- Keywords:region; region-building; regional identity; Arctic; globalization
- Summary/Abstract:The Arctic identity is most widely studied in relation with Indigeneity, which is often seen as being threatened by globalization processes. In this paper, the Arctic identity of Sakha (Yakutia) is explored from the regionbuilding perspective, using a constructivist approach to reveal the principal factors that have shaped it. In this regard, my interest is the role of actors of Arctic identity. I argue that the development of Arctic identity has been largely influenced by, though not limited to, the globalization process.
The Nomad’s Star of Bair Dugarov as the Guiding Light of Post-Soviet Buryatia
The Nomad’s Star of Bair Dugarov as the Guiding Light of Post-Soviet Buryatia
(The Nomad’s Star of Bair Dugarov as the Guiding Light of Post-Soviet Buryatia)
- Author(s):Galina Dondukova
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
- Page Range:279-300
- No. of Pages:22
- Keywords:ethnic identity; revival of historical memory; Buryat poetry; nomad; lineage continuation; ancestor’s cult; post-Soviet Buryatia
- Summary/Abstract:"The Nomad’s Star" is undoubtedly the most prominent poem of Bair Dugarov. Having appeared in the critical time of post-Soviet searching of self-identification among the Buryats, the poem instantly gained popularity. In this article, I argue that the poem The Nomad’s Star becomes the guiding light for the modern generation of Buryats after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Dugarov calls upon his contemporaries not to forget the nomadic principles of the ancestors. He employs such motifs and artistic images which reproclaim the ideas of lineage continuation, the ancestors’ cult, and harmony in the family – values that are relevant and vital at all times. I close read the poem The Nomad’s Star and outline main cultural concepts depicted in it, such as “route,” “hearth,” “lineage,” and others, which promote the revival of ethnic consciousness in the memory of the Buryats. I support my argumentation with the words of the poet himself and literary critics’ opinions. The public discourse and social network materials devoted to "The Nomad’s Star" are also called upon, evidencing the poem’s role and significance in contemporary Buryatia.
