Keywords
Russians
Turkmens
Civilization
Interaction
Murghab Sovereign’s Estate
Colonialism
Coexistence
Economy
Capitalism
How to Cite
Abstract
In historiography, there is perception of the Russian Empire as a colonial state, and of its outlying regions as colonies. The colonial regime involves the exploitation of various resources of colony for the benefit of metropolis. The history of the Murghab Soveregn’s Estate which existed in the Transcaspian Province, demonstrates how Russian capitalism created conditions according to which two distinct civilizational communities coexisted successfully, benefiting from this coexistence. The purpose of the study is to examine the various parameters that could have influenced the interaction between the two societies and to determine the potential for conflict. The results of the study prove that the Russian side was focused on maximizing profits from the enterprise, and therefore did not prioritize exerting significant pressure on the indigenous population of the region. The Turkmens benefited from artificial irrigation and favorable rental rates. They were provided with medical services. There were no obstacles to the establishment of new religious institutions or the provision of primary Muslim education. As a result, the two distinct civilizations coexisted peacefully, pursuing their own interests and engaging in interactions that did not significantly impact their economic, cultural, or civilizational perspectives.
References
Bobokhonov, R. S., & Sledzevsky, I. V. (2022). The Conflict Between the West and the World of Islam: Causes and Dynamics in the Historical Dimension. Asia and Africa Today, (12), 62–69. https://doi.org/10.31857/S032150750023562-0 (In Russian).
Botyakov, Yu. M. (2002). Alaman: Socio-Economic Aspects of the Institution of Raiding Among the Turkmens (Mid-Nineteenth to First Half of the Twentieth Century). Muzei antropologii i etnografii im. Petra Velikogo (Kunstkamera) RAS. (In Russian).
Brusina, O. I., & Solovyova, L. T. (2022). Murghab Sovereign’s Estate in Bairam-Ali Based on the Materials of G. I. Karpov: Anti-Colonial Critique of the Imperial Concept. Istoriya, 13(10). https://doi.org/10.18254/S207987840023218-8 (In Russian).
Mazaev, N. A. (2024). The Agrarian Sector of the Murghab Sovereign’s Estate as a Reflection of the Agrarian Policy of the Russian Empire in Turkestan Krai. Gusev Readings – 2024: Three Dimensions of Russian Political History: Ideology, Politics, Practices, 258–272. (In Russian).
Mazaev, N. A. (2025). The Murghab Sovereign’s Estate as a Site for the Application and Dissemination of Progressive Agricultural Experience. MCU Journal of Historical Studies, (3), 40–54. https://doi.org/10.24412/2076-9105-2025-359-40-54 (In Russian).
Russian State Historical Archive (RGIA). (n.d.). “Main Administration of Appanages.” F. 515. In. 44. C. 377, 401; In. 45. C. 132, 136, 837, 1003; In. 81. C. 162, 168, 172, 223, 326, 354. (In Russian).
Skosyrev, P. G. (1930). Bairam-Ali Sovkhoz: The Cotton Five-Year Plan. Molodaya gvardiya. (In Russian).
Sledzevsky, I. V. (1974). Colonial Societies: Some Issues in the Development and Reproduction of Multi-Structurality. In L. E. Kubbel (Eds.), Africa: The Emergence of Underdevelopment and Paths of Development (pp. 291–426). Nauka. (In Russian).
Sledzevsky, I. V. (1998). The Concept of “Sociocultural Inversion”: An Interpretive Attempt. In I. V. Sledzevsky (Ed.), The Problem of Sociocultural Inversions (pp. 17–24). SGU. (In Russian).
Sledzevsky, I. V. (2015). The Concept of the Dialogue of Civilizations in a Global World. Prepodavanie Istorii i Obshchestvoznaniya v Shkole, (5), 17–26. (In Russian).
Sledzevsky, I. V. (2020). Christian and Muslim Communities in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Potential for Religious Integration. In I. V. Sledzevsky (Ed.), Civilizational Alternatives of Africa (Vol. 3, pp. 64–81). The Institute for African Studies, RAS. (In Russian).
Sledzevsky, I. V. (2022). Postcoloniality in the Contemporary Global Civilizational Transition. In T. M. Gavristova (Ed.), Russia–Africa: From Oral History to Postcolonial Narrative (pp. 182‑186). Filigran. (In Russian).
Sledzevsky, I. V. (Ed.). (2024). Civilizational Alternatives of Africa: Vol. 4. The Postcolonial Civilizational Transition of Africa. The Institute for African Studies, RAS. (In Russian).
Vasilyev, D. V. (2024). Administrative Acculturation of the Indigenous Population of the Transcaspian Oblast in the Legislation of 1914. Istoriya: Elektronnyi Nauchno-Obrazovatelnyi Zhurnal, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.18254/S207987840029890-8 (In Russian).
Vasilyev, D. V., & Mazaev, N. A. (2025). The Murghab Sovereign’s Estate in the Context of Macroeconomic Indicators. RUDN Journal of Russian History, 24(3), 402–414. https://doi.org/10.22363/2312-8674-2025-24-3-402-414 (In Russian).
Vasilyev, S. D. (2021). Turkmens in the Context of Regional Foreign Policy in Central Asia in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century. Oriental Studies, 14(4), 658–672. https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2021-56-4-658-672 (In Russian).
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dmitry V. Vasilyev