Historical Anthropology in Eurasia

Abstract

The article reconsiders various notions and conceptions of historical anthropology as means of enhancing our knowledge and understanding of social and cultural processes. The author pays attention to a very complex problem — interrelationship between History and Anthropology. What is Historical Anthropology? Where is its place among other historical disciplines? Why it is so important? What about its possibilities and possible drawbacks, at the same time? The article poses these and some other important questions to the scholars and suggests answers. A careful attention is devoted to Anthropology within post socialist Eurasia, and to some post-colonial legacy on this territory. Different ways of conducting historical-anthropological studies are explored in order to determine which perspectives may be applied to Eurasia. The approaches discussed include ethnohistorical research, studies of transformation and persistence of social organization and cultural identity, interethnic relations, and relations between ethnic minorities and the state. The author examines the peculiarities of continental colonialism and its difference from other forms. With respect to methodological and theoretical implications inherent in the interdisciplinary relationship between history and anthropology, a concise outline of research carried out by Max Planck Institute focus group is given. A framework is thus provided for discussing arguments that concentrate on the need to establish a new format of (post-) colonial studies adjusted to the peculiarities of this macro-region, which entails a close cooperation between ethnologists from Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and China, where both disciplines have gained new significance in recent years.