Russian Central Asia in the works of Nikolai Karazin, 1842-1908 : ambivalent triumph

"This book provides a deep reading of Nikolai Karazin's works and his relationship with Central Asia. Elena Andreeva shows how Karazin's prolific creations have much to tell us about Russian imperialism, colonial and local society as well as Russians' self-identity as colonizers and Europeans. The work offers an original contribution to the scholarship on Russian imperial history and that of Central Asia, and Russian literary history also. Karazin's importance—at the time and now—is appropriately highlighted." - Jeff Sahadeo , Associate Professor, Carleton University, Canada "Elena Andreeva's book resurrects a vital if forgotten figure from the Russian past: Nikolai Karazin, Russia's Kipling, a multifaceted participant in Russian imperial expansion, whose fiction, journalism, ethnography and visual representations may well have done more than any agent of the Russian state to represent and popularize Russia's conquest of Central Asia to a newly literate Russian public beyond the educated elites. Archivally based and carefully argued, Andreeva's study of Karazin reveals the absence of any singular logic to Russian imperial expansion. In her analysis Karazin emerges as a vernacular enthusiast of empire who was able to reconcile a skeptical attitude towards tsarist autocracy with an idealized view of Russia's 'civilizing' mission in the East." - Harsha Ram , Associate Professor, University of California, Berkeley, USA This book is dedicated to the literary and visual images of Central Asia in the works of the popular Russian artist Nikolai Karazin. It analyzes the ways Karazin's discourse inflected, and was inflected by, the expansion of the Russian empire – and therefore sheds light on the place of art and culture in the Russian colonial enterprise. It is the first attempt to interpret Karazin's images of Central Asia within Russian imperial networks and within the maze of the Russian national identity that informed them. "The manuscript provides a deep reading of Nikolai Karazin's works and his relationship with Central Asia. Certainly, Elena Andreeva shows how Karazin's prolific creations have much to tell us about Russian imperialism, colonial and local society as well as Russians' self-identity as colonizers and Europeans. The work offers an original contribution to the scholarship on Russian imperial history and that of Central Asia, and Russian literary history also. Karazin's importance--at the time and now--is appropriately highlighted." - Jeff Sahadeo, Associate Professor, Carleton University, Canada "Elena Andreeva's book resurrects a vital if forgotten figure from the Russian past: Nikolai Karazin, Russia's Kipling, a multifaceted participant in Russian imperial expansion, whose fiction, journalism, ethnography and visual representations may well have done more than any agent of the Russian state to represent and popularize Russia's conquest of Central Asia to a newly literate Russian public beyond the educated elites. Archivally based and carefully argued, Andreeva's study of Karazin reveals the absence of any singular logic to Russian imperial expansion. In her analysis Karazin emerges as a vernacular enthusiast of empire who was able to reconcile a skeptical attitude towards tsarist autocracy with an idealized view of Russia's "civilizing" mission in the East." - Harsha Ram, Associate Professor, University of California, Berkeley, USA This book is dedicated to the literary and visual images of Central Asia in the works of the popular Russian artist Nikolai Karazin (1842-1908). It analyzes the ways Karazin's discourse inflected, and was inflected by, the expansion of the Russian empire - and therefore sheds light on the place of art and culture in the Russian colonial enterprise. It is the first attempt to interpret Karazin's images of Central Asia within Russian imperial networks - and within the maze of the Russian national identity that informed them. Acknowledgement Contents List of Images Chapter one: Introduction Chapter two: Nikolai Karazin’s “discovery” of Central Asia as Russia’s internal Orient Bibliographical survey Central Asian context Nikolai Karazin’s biography Brief evaluation of Karazin’s works Russian perceptions of the Orient Chapter three: Nikolai Karazin’s military project: the discourse of power Glorification of the conquest Short story “Zara-Bulakskie vysoty” – case study Short story “Urgut” – case study War in Karazin’s novels Social divisions within the Russian military Using humor War as empowerment Empathy for the enemy The “white shirts” Realism in visual works Large-scale oil paintings Small-scale scenes Chapter four: Nikolai Karazin’s civilian project: Russians in Turkestan Russian Tashkent and other colonial cities Agriculture and Russian settlers Transportation Past glory Worthy Russians Russian merchants Unworthy Russians Religions and priests Humorous Russian names Chapter five: Nikolai Karazin’s civilian project: local people in Turkestan Worthy and unworthy natives Native officials Mixed bags among the natives Drawings of evil natives Female characters Visual images of native women Image of Islam Stereotyping Discourse of empathy Chapter six: Karazin’s ethnographic project and travelogues: topography and typography Russian “discovery” of Central Asia Ethnographic networks Expeditions to the Amu-Darya Travelogues Scenes of everyday life Rulers and towns Ground transportation Water transportation Dwellings Tombs and funerals Ethnic types Animals Landscape Folklore Chapter seven: Conclusion Bibliography Archives Works by N. N. Karazin Translations Secondary sources Index This book is dedicated to the literary and visual images of Central Asia in the works of the popular Russian artist Nikolai Karazin. It analyzes the ways Karazin's discourse inflected, and was inflected by, the expansion of the Russian empire - and therefore sheds light on the place of art and culture in the Russian colonial enterprise. It is the first attempt to interpret Karazin's images of Central Asia within Russian imperial networks and within the maze of the Russian national identity that informed them.00Contents: 1. Introduction2. Nikolai Karazin's "discovery" of Central Asia as Russia's internal Orient3. Nikolai Karazin's military project: the discourse of power4. Nikolai Karazin's civilian project: Russians in Turkestan.5. Nikolai Karazin's civilian project: local people in Turkestan6. Karazin's ethnographic project and travelogues: topography and typography7. Conclusion00Author Biography: Elena Andreeva is Professor of History at Virginia Military Institute, USA, and the author of Russia and Iran in the Great Game: Travelogues and Orientalism (2007) and co-editor of Russians in Iran: Diplomacy and Power in the Qajar Era and Beyond (2018)