Scientific journal
Scientific Review. Historical sciences

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SOCIETY AND POWER SYSTEMS IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS IN XIX AND BEGINNINGS OF XX CENTURY: SUBJECT FIELD AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDIES IN RUSSIAN CAUCASOLOGY

Боров А.Х., Муратова Е.Г.
Under consideration in the article are major trends and conceptual underpinnings of studies in the field of the issues related to the coevolution of the society and power systems in the North Caucasus in the course of transition from tradition to imperial integration and modernization through the XIXth and the beginnings of XXth century. Historiography of these issues are formed by the aggregate of researches in a number of large thematic clusters, that of: 1) typology and levels of North Caucasus peoples’ sociopolitical organization; 2) paths and forms of their inclusion into Russia, particularly the historical nature and meaning of the Caucasian war; 3) formation and development of the Russian imperial system of government in North Caucasus; 4) a set of agrarian and social transformations during the great reforms of 1860–1870s; 5) socio-economic and cultural evolution of North Caucasus peoples in post-reforms period. This structure of subject field and the basic range of conceptual approaches worked out within imperial and soviet period of the development of Caucasus studies proved to be unchanged up to present times. But in contemporary scientific discourse methodological pluralism is contaminated with ideological and political pluralism, which is polarized between the extremes of ethno-nationalist and neo-imperial interpretations. It is necessary this time to conceive the main aspects of interrelation and interaction between society and power systems in the North Caucasus during XIX and the beginnings of XX century as definite, specific and fundamental issue of modern studies in the history of North Caucasus.