From Chinggisid to Modern State: Geopolitics and Sovereignty in Central Eurasia during the 17th and 18th Centuries

Year 2024, Issue: 111, 159 - 192, 31.10.2024

Kubilay Atik , Suat Beylur , Nurlan Kenzheakhmet

https://doi.org/10.12995/bilig.11107

Abstract

The decline of the Mongol Empire and its successor states led to anarchy in Central Eurasia from the 16th to the 18th centuries. This era saw the fall of the Timurids and the Ming Dynasty and the rise of new regional powers, including the Kazakhs and Zunggars in Central Asia. Externally, the Manchus, and Russia began influencing Central Asian geopolitics. Meanwhile, significant political, cultural, and scientific developments were taking place in Europe, alongside the rise of colonialism. Although these trends in Europe began to affect Central Asia, the regional powers of the time focused more on European technological innovations than on ideas of sovereignty and statehood. With the acceleration of political and culturalinteractions between the East and the West, mapping and related innovations reached Central Asia and soon became symbols of political hegemony. This strategy, adopted by China’s Ming and Manchu Qing dynasties and Russia, was efficiently utilized in the struggle for dominance in Central Asia. This article examines the last attempts of the regional Kazakh and Zunggar polities as independent states to become the hegemon power in the region within the framework of the role of mapping in Russian and Manchu colonial advances, which has not been sufficiently studied yet. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this study employs historical methodologies, as well as international relations terminologies and theoretical frameworks.

Keywords

Central Asia, Historical Geography, Maps, Kazakhs, Kazakh Khanate, Zunggars, Cultural interaction

Cengizlilerden Modern Devlete: 17. ve 18. Yüzyıllarda Merkezî Avrasya’da Jeopolitik ve Egemenlik

Abstract

Moğol İmparatorluğunun ve halefi olan devletlerin dağılması, 16. ve 18. yüzyıllar arasında Merkezî Avrasya’da bir anarşiye yol açtı. Bu dönemde Timurlular ve Ming Hanedanı yıkılırken Kazaklar ve Cungarlar gibi yeni bölgesel güçler yükseldi. Dışarıdan ise Mançular ve Ruslar, Orta Asya’nın jeopolitiğini etkilemeye başladı. Bu dönemde Avrupa’da da önemli bir kısım siyasi, kültürel ve bilimsel gelişmeler yaşanmakta, sömürgecilik yükselmekteydi. Avrupa’daki bu gelişmeler bir şekilde Orta Asya’yı da etkilemeye başlamış olsa da dönemin bölgesel güçleri, egemenlik ve devlet anlayışlarından ziyade Avrupa’nın teknik yeniliklerine odaklanmışlardı. Batı ile Doğu arasındaki siyasi ve kültürel etkileşimin ivme kazanmasıyla haritalama ile birlikte diğer bazı yenilikler, Orta Asya’ya ulaştı ve siyasi hegemonya için bir sembol hâline geldi. Çin’in Ming ve Mançu Qing hanedanları ile Rusya tarafından benimsenen bu strateji, Orta Asya’daki hâkimiyet mücadelesinde etkin bir şekilde kullanıldı. Bu makale, bölgesel Kazak ve Cungar siyasal yapılarının bağımsız devletler olarak hegemon güç olma yolundaki son çabalarını, şimdiye kadar yeterince çalışılmamış olan Rus ve Mançu sömürgeci ilerlemelerinde haritalamanın rolü çerçevesinde incelemektedir. Disiplinlerarası yaklaşımı benimseyen bu çalışmada, tarihsel metodolojilerin yanı sıra uluslararası ilişkiler terminolojileri ve teorik çerçeveler de kullanılacaktır.

Keywords

Orta Asya, Tarihî Coğrafya, Haritalar, Kazaklar, Kazak Hanlığı, Cungarlar, Kültürel etkileşim

Supporting Institution

The authors were supported in preparing this article by the project titled ‘Historical Geography of Central Asia’ (BR21882416) funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan. Additionally, one of the authors, Kubilay Atik, is also supported by the TÜBİTAK project number 1059B192203092.

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