The specifi cs of Monotheism (tawhid) as “a thing-in-itself”. On the Evolution of Islamic Theology in the Late Russian Empire

In this paper, we will try to give a dynamic characterization of the object and the subject of Modern theology among the Tatar Muslims on the exemplar of the theological views of ‘Abdunnasīr Qursavi (1776–1812), Shihabutdin Marjani (1818–1889) and Murad Ramzi (1854–1934) (and partly of their contemporaries). The incognizability of the Creator and the faith as “a thing-in-itself” transformed Tatar Religious Epistemology into the cognition of more defi nite realities. Agnosticism in the question of God’s attributes led to the anthropocentric features of theological worldviews. The above-mentioned chain of theologians demonstrates not only the continuity of the Tatar Theology, but also refl ects the dynamics of the evolution of the attitude towards the madhhabs and towards the role of an individual, the specifi cs of the Naqshbandi-Mujaddidiya Sufi brotherhood, as well as the Ottoman ‘usul fi qh’ in the modernization period of the early XVIII century. In general, the works of Qursavi constitute a certain system of views that can be considered as a certain cornerstone, the so-called ‘starting point’ of Tatar School of Theology.

The Winding Paths of Russian Imperial Politics: On Die Geburt des russländischen Imperiums: Herrschaftskonzepte und -praktiken im 18. Jahrhundert by Ricarda Vulpius

The article discusses the book Die Geburt des russländischen Imperiums by Ricarda Vulpius, a publication that tracks the emergence of the conceptual background for governing the growing Russian Empire in the eighteenth century, when territorial gains rendered the country increasingly multinational, multi-faith and multicultural. In this paper, the book was treated as an inspiration for examining the relationship between the practices employed by Russia on newly acquired territories in the east and south of Asia, described by Vulpius in the book, and the Russian Empire’s policy towards Poland.

Estate, Capital and Province in the Alexander Potyomkin’s novel Man is canceled (2007)

The article analyzes the novel of the modern Russian writer A. Potyomkin Man is canceled (2007), which received a wide public response. The main idea of the work is the need for a radical change of the “mass man” of the turn of the XX-XXI centuries at the psychosomatic level. The ideological and compositional center is the specially built Rimushkino estate in the Oryol province, where the serf spirit of the Russian Empire at the turn of the XVIII-XIX centuries is reproduced. To answer the question of why the estate space of Russia is becoming the most representative field for anthropological experiments of the beginning of the XXI century, we consider the estate neo-myths of the Silver Age (the lost paradise on earth) and the Soviet period (the camp hell living in the mentality), as well as the imperial-colonial concept of the postmodern era (the estate as a frontier in the process of class-oriented internal colonization of the country). The multidimensional semiotics of the estate sets a new relationship between “metropolitan” and “provincial” concerning the other loci of the novel.

Ordynacja lachowicka hrabiów Kossakowskich

The subject of this article is the history of the Kossakowski counts representation on the Lachowicze estate. The entailment functioning dates from 1858 to its abolition by the last representat in 1923/24 or in 1939, when the Second Republic of Poland government introduced the act of all family representation abolition. Until now, there were no documents confirming the actual existence of the Kossakowski representation and all references to this subject were reproduced from 19th century armorials. Analysis of the preserved source material has made it clear that Kossakowski family efforts to secure their property were successful and in 1882 they received approval in the Russian Empire.

В. Н. Татищев и вопросы улучшения экономического положения калмыцкого народа

Introduction. This article is devoted to the activities of Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev, when Astrakhan governor (1741–1745) responsible for the affairs of the Kalmyk steppes. It is aimed to examine his projects designed to amend the impoverishment of the broad masses of Kalmyks often left without their livestock, even without horses. The question was raised by Tatishchev himself; the governor was worried about its political implications because Kalmyks without horses were of no use for the Russian Empire. Materials and methods. The article is based on archival materials, as well as the historiography that sheds light on Tatishchev as the statesman and politician. Results. The governor repeatedly discussed the issues of the worsened social-economic situation of the people with the Kalmyk namestnik (leader) Donduk Dashi, both on official occasions and in private communication. He had various explanations for their economical degradation, pointing out the difference in the nomads’ situation of the 1840s as compared with that in Khan Ayuka’s time. His involvement in the issues concerning fishing and seasonal work of the impoverished Kalmyks shows that the governor seemed to be interested in helping them, but his projects to improve the Kalmyks’ socio-economic situation were largely unsuccessful. The reasons for the failure may be found both in the resistance of the Kalmyk rulers and zaisangs and the general weaknesses of the administration when dealing with the steppe affairs.

INCLUSION OF GEORGIA INTO THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE AND PRESERVATION OF LOCAL LEGISLATION

The topic of Georgia's inclusion in the Russian Empire is especially relevant, since the relationship between two historical neighbors today it is tense and it is necessary to especially carefully study the historical vicissitudes in order to realize the prospect of their future development. The article concerns the civil code of Russia and Georgia, the adaptation of the Georgian code of laws and the Code of King Vakhtang with all-Russian legislation. The authors consider a large period and cover the relationship between Russia and Georgia during the reign of Peter the First, Catherine the Second, Paul the First, Alexander the First and Alexander the Second. The authors analyze the process of systematization of the all-Russian legislation of 1826-1832 and the adoption of the Civil Code, which prompted local and central administrations to unify private and general imperial law. The authors investigate the use of Georgian civil law in private law relations in the Caucasus in the 19th century.