The Everyday Life and Culture of the Crimean Karaites in Ethnographic Research and Museum Collections of the 19th — early 20th Сentury

Abstract

A B S T R A C T. The article discusses the beginning of academic research on Crimean Karaites in the 19 th — early 20 th centuries: of their history, everyday life, and culture. It analyzes the Karaite population’s legal status granted by the state under the governmental policy to integrate the “inorodtsy” (ethnic minorities) into Russian cultural and linguistic space. The article examines ethno-confessional traditions, main occupations, and the life of the Karaites residing in the Crimean Peninsula, focusing on their place and role in the multi-ethnic society of the Russian Empire. The earliest academic studies of the history and culture of Crimean Jewish communities developed at the same time when Russian “inorodtsy” acquired legal status and in relation to the discussion about the origins of the Crimean Karaites. The second half of the 19th century saw the increased interest of the scientific community in the problems of ethnogenesis, history, and culture of the Karaites. The growing local history movement gave a significant impetus to the research on this issue. The article traces the stages in the formation of ethnographic and museum collections devoted to the history and culture of the Crimean Karaites. The paper describes the most historically and artistically significant museum artifacts and analyzes the current state of museum collections. The author argues for preserving the historical and cultural heritage of the autochthonous peoples of Crimea by introducing archaeographic, archaeological, epigraphic, ethnographic, and other materials into scientific circulation.