The History of medieval Bashkirs in the ethnogenetic discourse of R.G. Kuzeev

Abstract

The ethnogenetic concept of R.G. Kuzeev, according to which the Belebeevo-Bugulma upland from the end of the 1st millennium A.D. is the territory of the formation of the Bashkir people, has established itself in historiography, and for several decades various researchers and publicists rely on it in their research. However, its main provisions are not verified. Sources of the 10th–15th centuries do not connect medieval Bashkirs (“bashgart”, “baskart”, “paskatir”) with the territory of the Belebeevo-Bugulma upland, and the sources of the 16th century localize the Bashkirs (“Bashkird”, “Bashkirs”) in the Perm Kama region. The composition and localization of the ethno-tribal divisions of the medieval Bashkirs were established by R.G. Kuzeev on the basis of data from sources of the 18th–19th centuries. But this extrapolation was carried out without taking into account the significant ethno-social changes that occurred in the 17th–18th centuries. Therefore, it is obvious that the concept of R.G. Kuzeev does not stand up to scientific criticism, and the ideas about the ethnogenesis of the medieval Bashkirs that have developed on its basis need to be substantially corrected.

For citation: Aksanov A.V. The History of medieval Bashkirs in the ethnogenetic discourse of R.G. Kuzeev. From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2023, vol.13, no.3, pp.167–178. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2023-13-3.167-178 (In Russian)