Alikhan Bukeikhan's Activities in the West Siberian Department of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society

Abstract

The article is devoted to a comprehensive study of the scientific activities of Alikhan Bukeikhan as a member of the West Siberian Department of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society. The article examines the contribution of Alikhan Bukeikhan to the collection and systematization of data on the Kazakh people, which formed the theoretical basis for fundamental studies of the Kazakh cultural and social identity, identified during participation in scientific expeditions aimed at studying Kazakhstan, its economy, ethnography and geography. The article examines the scientific approach of Alikhan Bukeikhan to issues of territorial distribution, agriculture and ethnography of the Kazakh people, shows a fundamental position on the issue of preventing uncontrolled colonization of the Steppe region through the construction of railways. The authors note that as part of his activities in the geographical society, Alikhan Bukeikhan left a rich scientific heritage, which was represented by many scientific articles, points and notes on the history, ethnography, agriculture, animal husbandry of Kazakhstan and other branches of knowledge. Bukeikhan not only actively participated in expeditions, but also contributed to the integration of the Kazakh people into the scientific community, drawing attention to issues of their social and economic status. Despite the difficult political conditions of that time, Alikhan Bukeikhan continued to fight for the rights of his people, using scientific methods to substantiate his position. As a result, the authors come to the conclusion that with his scientific research, Alikhan Bukeikhan made an important contribution to understanding the specifics of the Kazakh people's economy, the historical, cultural and geographical study of the Kazakh steppe.