Paper long abstract:

This paper will examine the use of ethnonyms in 19th century depictions of the Khanate of Kokand which was situated in the Ferghana valley. During the early 19th century the Khanate of Kokand competed with the Khanate of Bukhara as a major cultural and political center in Central Asia. The Khanate of Kokand was particularly populous and diverse due to the fact that many peoples inhabited the Ferghana valley. In addition, the location of the khanate near the steppe often led to interaction and even conflict with various nomadic peoples. The rulers of the khanate were the Ming, an Uzbek tribal dynasty. This research paper will examine how texts such as Abdul Karim Bukhari’s history of the Central Asia during the 18th – 19th centuries and the Tārīkh-i Shāhrukhī, by Muhammad Niyāz depicted the various peoples of the Khanate of Kokand. Abdul Karim Bukhari hailed from Bukhara and later went on to serve as an attendant and historian for a number of notable figures of Central Asia during the early 19th century. Later in his live he relocated to Istanbul where he wrote his history of Central Asia which was interspersed with his own personal experiences from his travels throughout the region. I will refer to Charles Schefer’s French translation of Bukhari’s work in this study. The Tārīkh-i Shāhrukhī is a chronicle of the Khanate of Kokand written by the historian Muhammad Niyāz around 1870-1. I will utilize the Persian text edition of this source. In examining both works particular attention will be paid to how various ethnonyms are used and in what contexts. I will focus on the reign of the ruler Alim Khan who is noted for his campaigns against the Kazakhs and his incorporation of Tajiks into his army. I wish to see how ethnonyms are juxtaposed with each other and whether they are set aside in favor of more overarching labels depending on the situation. I am interested in examining the Khanate of Kokand in this way due to the variety of peoples who populated the Ferghana valley during the 19th century. It is my intention to use Rogers Brubaker’s theoretical framework of groupness to examine how my sources depict certain peoples as “others” depending on the context. I am interested in how inclusive terms such as “Turk” and “Uzbek” were and if certain ethnonyms were associated with particular geographic areas. This will provide insight regarding how identity was conceptualized in Central Asia prior to the Soviet nation-building projects of the early 20th century.