(Nazarbayev University School of Sciences and Humanities, 2016) Gao, Yuan
This thesis studies Russian captivity narratives about Central Asia produced during
the nineteenth century. Focusing on the captivity theme, this thesis explores diverse
individual captivity stories written within the grand context of Russia’s expansion into
Central Asia. It aims to show that captivity narratives not only tell of the vulnerability
and uncertainty of the empire during its expansion, but also reveal the rapid shift of
power in Central Asia in the nineteenth century. They witness Russian captives’ growing
awareness of Central Asia as a site of Russia’s future colonization, and the captives’
self-awareness of their Russian and imperial identity...