Social Make-Up of Muslim Officials in the Kazakh Steppe from the End of the Eighteenth to the Middle of the Nineteenth Centuries

In his article Pavel Shabley examines social make-up of Muslim officials of the Russian empire in the Kazakh Steppe in the historical context of Islamization of the region, protectorate and vassal relations between Russia and Kazakh nobility and their reforms happened from the end of the 18 th to the middle of the 19 th centuries. Basing on a wide range of archival data and first-hand narrative sources author shows ambiguity of social perceptions concerning mullahs and other representatives of Muslim spiritual elite among the native populations. This situation reflected complicated character of relationship between different actors of the imperial power in the region including the Frontier Commission, The Orenburg Mohammedan Spiritual Assembly, Kazakh nobles and state officials.