British travelers on the Russification of Crimea at the turn of 18-19th centuries

Abstract

The 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea revived the historical myth that the peninsula has always been a Russian territory and is “a primordially Russian land.” “Krym nash” (“Crimea is ours”) has become a catch phrase symbolizing the revival of Russian imperial ambitions. The creation of the myths around Crimea and the falsification of history has been an integral part of Russian imperial politics since 1783 when Russia annexed the peninsula. To justify the annexation of Tatar inhabited Crimea, Russian historiography often depicts the Tatars as “barbaric people,” “the descendants of the Mongols,” and as a nation that does not have its own intellectual heritage and cultural past. Such rhetoric is the marker of a colonial history which denies conquered people their cultural and political identity and justifies imperial hegemony, which it legitimizes as a ‘civilizing project.’ Following the Russian annexation of Crimea in 1783, foreign travelers made their way to the region and recorded their observations of the daily life, social and political institutions and cultural traditions of the Crimean Tatars as well as the Russian colonial policies and their consequences. On the basis of these primary sources (mostly travelogues), I propose to examine the cultural heritage of the Crimean Tatars at the time of their subjugation by the Russian state and the changes in their life brought about by the Russian colonial policies.

Keywords

• Crimea
• Crimean Tatars
• Russian annexation

British Travelers on the Russification of Crimea at the Turn of 18-19th Centuries

Öz

The 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea revived the historical myth that the peninsula has always been a Russian territory and is “a primordially Russian land.” “Krym nash” (“Crimea is ours”) has become a catch phrase symbolizing the revival of Russian imperial ambitions. The creation of the myths around Crimea and the falsification of history has been an integral part of Russian imperial politics since 1783 when Russia annexed the peninsula. To justify the annexation of Tatar inhabited Crimea, Russian historiography often depicts the Tatars as “barbaric people,” “the descendants of the Mongols,” and as a nation that does not have its own intellectual heritage and cultural past. Such rhetoric is the marker of a colonial history which denies conquered people their cultural and political identity and justifies imperial hegemony, which it legitimizes as a ‘civilizing project.’ Following the Russian annexation of Crimea in 1783, foreign travelers made their way to the region and recorded their observations of the daily life, social and political institutions and cultural traditions of the Crimean Tatars as well as the Russian colonial policies and their consequences. On the basis of these primary sources (mostly travelogues), I propose to examine the cultural heritage of the Crimean Tatars at the time of their subjugation by the Russian state and the changes in their life brought about by the Russian colonial policies.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Crimea
• Crimean Tatars
• Russian annexation
• British travelers

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