Abstract

The study of Central Eurasia relies heavily on a diverse corpus of written sources that reflect the complex political, social, and intellectual landscapes of the region. Chronicles, legal documents, manuscript traditions, and early modern and modern periodicals constitute key materials for reconstructing historical narratives. Yet these sources often require careful contextualization and critical interpretation, as they were produced within specific political, cultural, and ideological frameworks that shaped their content and perspective.

This panel addresses methodological and interpretive challenges associated with the analysis of historical sources related to Central Asia and the Caucasus from the seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries. By examining different types of texts—chronicles, juridical documents, manuscript works, periodical publications, and European accounts—the panel explores how historical narratives were constructed, transmitted, and interpreted across different cultural and intellectual traditions. The papers highlight issues of misinterpretation in seventeenth-century Khivan chronicles, the analytical and methodological challenges of studying legal documents from Central Asia, the use of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century periodical press as historical sources for the history of Turkestan, and the codicological significance of manuscript evidence for understanding literary works of the nineteenth century. The panel also expands the discussion to include European eighteenth-century sources on Nadir Shah Afshar, illustrating how external observers contributed to shaping historical perceptions of political power in the region.

By bringing together scholars working on different types of sources and historiographical traditions, this panel aims to reconsider the methodological foundations of source interpretation in Central Eurasian studies and to contribute to broader discussions on historiography, knowledge production, and the construction of historical discourse in the region.

Papers

1 Nigar R. Gozalova "European and Russian Eighteenth-Century Sources on Nadir Shah Afshar"

2 Nigora A. Allaeva On the Misinterpretation of Seventeenth-Century Khivan Chronicles

3 Nargiza A. Ismatova Legal Documents of Central Asia: Research, Analysis, and Interpretation

4 Umida Kuranbaeva Review of the work ‘Dili Garaib’ (19th century): what do codicological data from sources reveal?