On the 150th Anniversary of the Annexation of Central Asia by Russia: Change of Research Paradigms

This study examines the research paradigm as a system of objective and subjective evaluation criteria, united by a logic of a certain ideology. In pre-revolutionary period the process of the appropriation of the territories by the Empire was mostly seen in a positive light. With the establishment of Soviet power, a new evaluation paradigm has been created, which brings to the fore the notorious "colonial oppression". However, in the Soviet period, an approach to the problem has evolved, and after the "Khrushchev thaw" the idea of progressive acquisition was established. The second part of the article is devoted to the assessment of this event by the national academic historical literature and interpretations that exist in contemporary Central Asian historical studies and pseudo-science.