THE HISTORICAL AND ETHNO-GEOGRAPHICAL ROLE OF GEOGRAPHY AND FOLKLOREIN SHOKAN UALIKHANOV’S STUDY OF CENTRAL ASIA

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Abstract

This scientific article examines the integrated nature of Central Asian studies in the works of Shokan Shingisovich Ualikhanov from a historical and ethno-geographical perspective. The study analyzes the scholar’s methodological synthesis of geography, ethnography, and folklore, as well as his interpretation of the interaction between the natural environment and nomadic society. Geographical and ethnographic data collected during expeditions to Zhetysu, the Ile Alatau, and Kashgaria are considered key sources for understanding the historical memory, spatial perception, and spiritual culture of Central Asian peoples. Particular attention is paid to Ualikhanov’s academic documentation of the epic “Manas” and his use of toponymy as a tool for reconstructing historical geography. Ualikhanov’s scholarly legacy is assessed as a foundational ethno-geographical framework that significantly contributed to the development of humanitarian geography in Central Asia. The article also examines the ethno-geographical synthesis of Shokan Valikhanov through the study of the Great Silk Road space, highlighting the interrelationship between geographical determination and the phenomena of cultural transfer. It is shown that the scholar’s integration of toponymic analysis with folkloric and historical sources laid the foundation for the development of the method of historical-geographical localization. In the course of the research, the interaction between the natural environment, the economic system, and spiritual culture is described as an integral scientific model. The works of Shokan Valikhanov are assessed as the foundation of a comprehensive humanitarian-geographical concept that interprets the space of Central Asia as a harmonious unity of nature and culture.