Everyday Life of Kalmyks, 17th–19th Centuries: Defining the Problem and Its Background

Abstract

Introduction. The majority of Russian historiographic works deal with political history, namely: class struggle, wars, sociopolitical and socioeconomic development, prominent figures, etc. Meanwhile, it is evident enough that an ultimate basis for historical development and existence of any ethnos is everyday labor of the masses. The article reviews the emergence and development — in historical science as such and Russian historiography proper — of the research trend exploring everyday life. The paper notes virtually no such works have been published in Kalmykia, nor can one find any essential scholarly narratives on everyday life of Kalmyks. Goals. The study aims at delineating long-term benefits of academic insights into Kalmyk routine life, all estates and social groups throughout the 17th to 19th centuries. Results. The paper revisits activities by founders of the Annales school (France) — Marc Bloch and Lucien Febvre. Special attention is paid to similar works on everyday life in Russian historiography. Conclusions. The available ethnographic narratives examine the past household life of Kalmyks, their rites, economic affairs and other aspects integral to the subject area ‘mundane life’. However, the article concludes no special works to have covered Kalmyk routine life of the past have been published yet.

Keywords

• everyday life
• russian everyday life
• kalmyk ethnography
• kalmyk everyday life