Kalmyks after the Year 1771: the Religious Factor and Ethnic Identity
https://doi.org/10.22162/2500-1523-2019-3-531-542
Abstract
The article deals with the religious affairs and identity of the Kalmyks after the 1771 Exodus to Dzungaria. This event and its consequences have been comprehensively examined and evaluated by modern Kalmyk historiography. The grandiose exodus yielded no expected results: dreams to revive of the Dzungar Khanate proved an illusion, and the nation became split between China and Russia. Goals. The paper seeks to investigate the changes in confessional affairs of the Kalmyks subsequent to the year 1771 - from the perspective of ethnic identity. Materials. The work analyzes most essential legal changes towards the Buddhist church, reveals factors to have facilitated the preservation of identity. After the Kalmyk Exodus, the Russian Government put the Buddhist church under strict control, paying special attention to its size and numbers of Kalmyk clergymen, their influence on the whole of Kalmyk society - and each Kalmyk individually. Results. It is shown that the authorities actually understood and recognized religion as a socio-cultural element of identity.
Supporting agencies: The reported work was prepared under the project by Kalmyk Scientific Center of the RAS, funded with financial support from the Fundamental Research Program of the Bureau of the RAS - ‘Sustainable Development and Ensuring of Russia’s Strategic Breakthrough: Socio-Humanitarian Aspects’ (subprogram ‘Culturally Complex Societies: Understanding and Controlling’).
About the Author
Keemya V. Orlova
Kalmyk Scientific Center of the RAS
Russian Federation
Dr. Sc. (History), Cand. Sc. (Philology), Leading Research Associate
Russian Federation
Dr. Sc. (History), Cand. Sc. (Philology), Leading Research Associate
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Review
For citations:
Orlova K.V. Kalmyks after the Year 1771: the Religious Factor and Ethnic Identity. Mongolian Studies. 2019;11(3):531-542. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22162/2500-1523-2019-3-531-542
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