THE SOVIET HISTORIOGRAPHY AND THE QUESTION OF KAZAKHSTAN’S HISTORY

THE QUESTION OF KAZAKHSTAN’S HISTORY 197
ians became the distinguishing feature for the regional Muslim identity.
In this way, the Muslim clerics of the region attained a big step on
creating a regional identity distinct from both the Russians and other
Muslim communities in Russia. According to Frank, this “pro-Bulgarian”
regional Muslim identity imagination shaped as a historiography tradition
by the end of the eighteenth century would maintain its reputation
among the population – especially among the peasants - up until
1930s and would forcibly cease only after the Soviet intervention. 369
“Pro-Bulgarian” identity imagination adopted a different form in the
nineteenth century in the movement of “pro-Veysi”. This movement,
emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century and lasted up
until the Soviet era, is described as a social protest movement and the
“pro-Bulgarian” ideology central to the ideal world of this movement
is described as an expression of a social utopia by the contemporary
Tatar historians. The “pro-Veysi” movement emerged under the
principles of a Nakshibandi Bahaddin Veysi (1804-1893) and gained
popularity in some cities such as Kazan and Orenburg, in villages and
especially in the lower echelons of the urban population. Unsatisfied
of the current situation of the Muslim community, the “pro-Veysi”
supporters strongly condemned the service of the Muslim clerics as
Russian officials since the reign of Ekaterina II. Refusing to abide with
the rules of the “infidel” authority, the “pro-Veysi” supporters moved
beyond the condemnation and engaged in organisation of disobedience
against the Russian Empire. They formed their own independent
colonies (“God’s corps”) and rejected taxation, military service, population
census and passports offered by Russia. In their worldview,
re-establishment of the Bulgarian state and revival of the ancient
societal structure had vital significance. Therefore, they demanded
the return of the ancient ruined city of Bulgar to them and expulsion
of the Russian population from the region. After the dismissal and
punishment of the pioneers of the movement in 1885 (B. Veysi was
taken to a mental hospital and other leaders of the movement were
exiled to Siberia), this movement went underground and secretly
involved in propaganda. After the Russian Revolution of 1905, the
movement revived and acted until 1930s. 370 We have to express that
the “pro-Veysi” movement remained as a marginal movement with a
stronger presence in villages and suburbs and did not spread to the
majority of the Volga-Ural Muslim society.
369 Frank, Allen J., Islamic Historiography and “Bulghar” Identity among the Tatars
and Bashkirs of Russia, Leiden; Boston: Brill, 1998.
370 “Vaisovskoye Dvijeniye”, Tatarskaya Entsiklopediya, p. 518.