Muslim representatives in self-government of Russian regions in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries (based on the materials of Vyatka province)

The author explores the issue of the participation of Muslim representatives in the zemstvo, volost (parish) and city self-government of the Vyatka province of the Russian Empire in 1860-1916. The study of the situation in the Vyatka province shows the legal status of Muslims in those Russian territories where Islam was spread. The main materials of the study were the documents of the State archive of the Kirov Region and local periodicals. Muslims in the region were Tatars and Bashkirs. Their number varied in different districts of the province. The author makes a comparative analysis of the participation of Muslims in the volost, zemstvo and city self-government. The researcher claims that in the Muslim districts of the province their representatives participated in the self-government of different levels. However, there was no direct correlation between the number of the Muslim population and the number of Muslim representatives in city councils, zemstvo and volost boards. Various factors influenced the election of Tatars and Bashkirs to self-government bodies. Legislative acts established legal norms for the formation of a representative office. The maximum proportion of non-Christians was only in city assemblies. The final result was also influenced by the number of Muslims among voters of different categories, the authority of candidates, the position of the electoral assemblies and the local administration. To a greater extent, the composition of the population reflected the zemstvo and volost self-government. It was a small number of Muslim citizens among owners of the property which became the reason for their weak participation in the city municipal Duma.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC

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