Abstract
The article is devoted to a new direction of the history of Kazakhstan as a “life story” or “a history of everyday life”. The author analyzes what topics and a period cover the study of the history of everyday life in the modern historiography of Kazakhstan, in particular at the Department of History of Kazakhstan at the Institute of History and Law of Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University and ascertainsthe growing research interest in this topic. The author draws conclusions about the contribution of the history of everyday life introduced into the study of the history of Kazakhstan in the 20th century аs a historical source.
In the science of History of Kazakhstan the concept of “Life history” or a “history of everyday life” started relatively not long ago. So, the history of everyday life is one of the modern trends in the development of historical science. Within this direction, the research has been conducted in living conditions, work and leisure as well as considering the factors influencing the formation of consciousness and behavior, and the socio-political preferences of ordinary people. The history of everyday life is the story of those without whom there could be no history, but according to historians, who went down in history primarily as «anonymous» and «silent.»
The first studies of a new direction of the history of Kazakhstan were devoted to local history, such as the history of the city and countryside but now there is wider chronological and thematic research. The research and publishing boom of life history in our country related to various aspects of everyday life. For example, in our department, 8 masters out of 32 are defending their works on life history. This is 21% of all master’s students. And 12 (31, 5%) of research work that contain parts that were devoted to Life history.
Life history differs from household history. A historian of daily life does not study just the material side of the surrounding reality; he studies what meaning this placed on people in their daily lives. This approach takes a stronger position in the system of training professional historians in Kazakhstan.
Increased interest in the history of everyday life in Kazakhstan is also related, on the one hand, to the lack of documentary materials for a comprehensive and in-depth study of the life of ordinary people in the soviet periods, the lives of people who were deported to Kazakhstan, the influence of the Soviet transformation on the life strategies of the indigenous population, the camp life of deported people and of their families.
On the other hand, we are increasingly losing the memory of the older generation as they disappear. In the Soviet era creating family archives was not allowed in most cases. Therefore, it is important for us to ensure that person’s memory did not disappear along with them.
In order to collect oral sources, our department of History of Kazakhstan at the Institute of History and Law of Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University Head of chair Professor, Corresponding Member of NAS RK Mambet Koygeldiev – began the organize field expeditions with the participation of teachers, masters and doctoral students from 2012.
The crucial point of this work was that about 260 interviews were collected. This research allows us to expand the social base of the research and increase the range of the studied problems. Analysis of several hundreds of memories is not meant to be all-embracing and to give complete description, but it allows identification of the problem in a subjective perception.
Life history as one of the modern approaches of teaching and research is important for the study of social history and the reconstruction of a particular materially-spatial of the historical environment. Household material is a supplement to the topics on the history of culture in the traditional approach. Thus, Life history can be a connecting knot of economic, social, political and spiritual history. The first is to give students a better perception of the historical process that is not only confined to global issues. The history of everyday life removes the contradiction between history and life.
Secondly, an appeal to the history of everyday life facilitates the understanding of the historical material; when the researcher approaches to the historical process, it creates the effect of complicity.
Life history helps to overcome stereotypes and established a priori judgments about Soviet society. What does the life history contribute to the science of history of Kazakhstan?
First, a significant increment of the source base for research; the study of everyday life opens up opportunities to collect materials and sources for reconstruction of the history of ordinary or “little” people.
A specialist in the history of 20th century has an opportunity to apply the method of oral history. Collection and recording of “life stories”, interviews of all kinds, are not just a collection of material, but in some cases, the creation of a new kind of source. The 20th century was full of significant moments in the history of Kazakhstan, such as industrialization, collectivization, confiscation of property, repressions and deportation of people, war and post-war reconstruction and development of virgin lands. And today it is important for us to collect materials from witnesses of these events.
Secondly, opportunity to build typical patterns from regional materials that characterize “everyday life and standard of living throughout the country”; the study of the history of everyday life is associated with local history.
Thirdly, the analysis of everyday life can help to identify cultural and psychological characteristics of outwardly mundane aspects of human life. A critical analysis of the life history sources allows recreation of historically real and scientifically confirmed images through the study of life and customs (e.g. Kazakh bai). Fourthly, some important questions of everyday relationships and everyday practices of the Soviet people since the 1920s with the regularities of the formation of mass consciousness and the coexistence of tradition and innovation in daily life.
Fifthly, there is the possibility of isolating and revealing the new “Soviet” forms of everyday life. Research is devoted to everyday life under Stalinism, which emphasizes the importance to the survival of the population.
Finally, the expansion of a chronological framework in the study of Soviet people’s daily life. New to national historiography the number of problems which was first thoroughly discussed in relation to the history of 1920-1930, gradually covers the daily period of “thaw”, “stagnation” and the subsequent segments of the Soviet and post-Soviet history.
For our country’s history was characterized by the silence the tragic fate of the people. Hunger that resulted from the Soviet policy of settling nomadic people, repression destroyed the elite and intelligentsia of the nation and the war claimed the lives of thousands of people. These people have remained anonymous. The fates of these people are connected to the history of the state. New and professional historians and ordinary people who want to recreate these “small” stories are in active search.
Summing up, I want to say that Life History as a source in historical research can be a unique source and offer the only evidence of the past. Life History as a source needs to checkwith other forms ofsources. Itshould alsobe exploredin context, and only then can it be interpretedas fully as possible.
Secondly,for the of reconstruction history using Life history as a source, is not possible, but necessary. Life histories reproduce a specificimage of the epoch, with details, little things. They makesense ofthe emotional atmosphere and understandings of history. As is known, there are two ways of cognition, the intellectual and the emotional. At any stage of history and education, they both are present. The history of everyday life gives great opportunities for empathy with the era (in the words of Weber), the integration of the emotional moment.
Life History as a source allows the adding of the historiography operation of the historian and gives new methodical opportunities to the researcher.
All of the above points lead to the conclusion that the story of everyday life is not only capable of selfdevelopment, but is also actively seeking new ways of integration.
Today, when in the history of Kazakhstan there are more questions than answers, the role of research is greatly increased. It gives us a new opportunity to gain a more objective view of our history, which is now re-evaluated, rewritten, and reinterpreted.
When we were engaged in global issues, we did not see what was happening but now it is important not to go to the opposite extreme which is not to see the forest for the trees.
Study of the history of everyday life is in the ability to assess each present day. Then each of those days appear not accidental; it is an essential part of internal content, and it fills all of the cultural traditions.
On the other hand, the study of the history of everyday life gives us the opportunity to see the typology: in individual decisions taken in different situations. “The history of everyday life” proves that people going along the same experience path do not have the same. Perhaps there is a way to understand the total history which would be possible through a separate study in recreating the life of the past century.