The Basmachi Movement in Soviet Period Kyrgyz Novels / Sovyet Dönemi Kırgız Romanında Basmacı Hareketi

Abstract

The Basmachi or Korbashi movement refers to the national struggle of people who opposed the new order formed in Turkestan with the establishment of the Soviet Union. It emerged first in Kokand and influenced all of Turkestan in a short time. The movement was active in the north and especially the south regions of Kyrgyzstan. This new movement and the struggle for its existence were important for the Kyrgyz, who deeply experienced the Urkun incident in 1916. Various studies have mentioned Urkun. From this point of view, it is important to investigate how the ‘Basmachi’ movement is reflected in Kyrgyz novels. Accordingly, the present paper examined the Basmachi movement in Soviet Era Kyrgyz novel in the context of Soviet realism by seeking an answer to the aforementioned question. The sample consisted of novels that deal directly with the Basmachi and their actions along with works that only superficially touched upon the movement. The Basmachi movement was introduced to the reader differently from the historical reality in the novels examined. Individuals who were against the new order and were considered as raiders/bandits by the regime, were mostly described negatively as terrorist, enemy, enemies of tañ, enemies of Lenin, traitor, dog, vigilante, religionist, mischief-maker, depravedness, cunning, hypocritical, nationalist, kulak, manap, or rich due to the hegemonic domination. Literature was seen as an ideological device of the party, so black propaganda of the Basmachi movement was made through the novels.

Keywords

• soviet literature
• kyrgyz novel
• basmachi/korbashı movement
• basmachi/korbashı