THE FORMATION OF HISTORIOGRAPHY IN UZBEKISTAN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Аннотация

This article explores the intellectual and institutional emergence of historiography in Uzbekistan during the early 20th century—a period marked by political transformations, cultural renaissance, and national awakening. The formation of modern historical thought was influenced by the intersection of traditional Islamic scholarship, Jadidism, colonial Russian academic policies, and early Soviet ideological paradigms. Through the analysis of historical texts, educational reforms, and the activities of prominent historians, this study reveals the complexities of how Uzbek historiography was conceptualized, constructed, and contested in the transition from imperial to Soviet rule. The article further evaluates the historiographical legacy ofthisperiod and its influenceonsubsequent national history writing in Uzbekistan. Kеywоrds: Historiography, Uzbekistan, early 20th century, Jadidism, colonial scholarship, national identity, Soviet history, intellectual tradition. INTRОDUСTIОN The beginning of the 20th century was a watershed moment for the development of national consciousness and intellectual modernity in Central Asia, particularly in Uzbekistan. This era saw the gradual emergence of historical scholarship that sought to document, reinterpret, and reclaim the region’s rich past in light of new political realities. Prior to this period, historical writing in Central Asia was predominantly shaped by court chronicles and Islamic scholastic traditions, often emphasizing dynastic legitimacy, religious themes, and moral instruction rather than critical historiographical methods [1]. However, with the expansion of the Russian Empire into Central Asia in the late 19th century, new historiographical influences began to permeate the intellectual life of the region. Russian orientalists, military administrators, and ethnographers introduced new tools of documentation, archive work, and chronology. At the same time, the rise of the Jadid movement—a modernist reform initiative among Turkic Muslims—brought about a rethinking of education, national identity, and the role of history in shaping collective memory. It is within this intersection of empire, reform, and awakening that Uzbek historiography began to takeamodern form. MАTЕRIАLSАND MЕTHОDS Prior to the 20th century, historical writing in Uzbekistan was largely embedded within Islamic epistemological frameworks. Works such as Tarixi Mulki Ambar, Shajarayi Turk, and Nasafiynoma reflected a worldview grounded in religious cosmology and moral paradigms. Historians often operated as chroniclers of rulers, custodians of genealogies, and preservers of hadith and Islamic ethics. Though these works were invaluable in preserving historical data, they lacked systematic sourcecriticism and methodological objectivity [2]. Nevertheless, these traditions provided an essential foundation for emerging historiographical currents. Many early 20th-century historians were themselves products of madrasah education, deeply familiar with Arabic, Persian, and Chagatai sources. Their transformation into modern historians was a gradual process that entailed both the preservation of cultural heritage and https://ijmri.de/index.php/jmsi volume 4,issue3,2025 513 adaptation tonew intellectual currents. RЕSULTSАNDDISСUSSIОN The Jadid reformists, spearheaded by figures such as Mahmudxo‘ja Behbudiy, Abdulla Avloniy, Munavvarqori Abdurashidxonov, and Fitrat, played a pivotal role in reshaping historical discourse. They recognized history as a powerful tool for nation-building, moral rejuvenation, andanti-colonial awareness. Jadid intellectuals began writing and publishing historical works not merely to glorify thepast, butto analyze it critically and derive lessons for thefuture [3]. Fitrat’s Munozara and O‘zbeklar treatises, for example, questioned why Turkic-Muslim societies had lagged behind Europe and emphasized the need for self-reflection through historical inquiry. Historical essays began to appear in Jadid newspapers and journals such as Shuhrat, Taraqqiy, and Oyna. These writings, though limited in formal methodology, reflected a growing awareness ofhistorical causality, periodization,and national identity. Moreover, Jadid educators introduced history as a subject in new-method schools (usul-i jadid maktablari), where students learned about Timurids, ancient Khorezm, and Islamic civilization not through rote memorization but through critical engagement with the past. This shift marked a departure from traditional historiography and laid thegroundwork for modern historical thinking. While Jadidism cultivated an internal intellectual renaissance, Russian imperial scholarship exerted significant influence through orientalist institutions, archival systems, and translation initiatives. Russian scholars such as V. V. Bartold, N. I. Veselovsky, and S. F. Oldenburg conducted extensive research on Central Asian history, often from a colonial perspective. Their works, though invaluable in terms of