The period of Khan Zhangir's rule over the Inner Horde of Kazakhs (1824-1845) provides an extraordinary case study to demonstrate the potential of an entangled history of metropolis and periphery in the Russian Empire. The concept of colonialism, clearly applicable to other peripheries in the Tsarist Empire since the 18th century, is suitable only to a limited extent for describing this relationship. Rather, with the Inner Horde being politically autonomous in the first half of the 19th century, the roles were blurred when the Kazakh Khan pursued Russian civilisational policies to improve the living conditions of the Kazakh community and to strengthen the political and cultural independence of the Inner Horde while Russian troops helped him to crush inner-Kazakh resistance. Although ego-documents are lacking, contemporary observers stress that Khan Zhangir did not see himself as a stooge of the Tsarist side. Rather, he was perceived as an independent and enlightened actor. His numerous political initiatives, which did not necessarily align with Russian interests, also testify to his agency. These initiatives were aimed at creating educational opportunities for Kazakhs, continued with the establishment of a rudimentary health system and reached their greatest political relevance when he set out to build a capital for the Inner Horde that was to reflect Kazakhstan's cultural heritage and become its spiritual, trading and administrative center. Khan Zhangir apparently envisioned a cultural-political autonomy for the Inner Horde under the umbrella of the empire. This vision does neither fit the criteria of colonialism as outlined by Osterhammel, nor does it represent the roots of a national state, even if the latter has become the dominant narrative since 1991.
