The 1916 Central Asian Revolt: Colonial Structures, Traditional Networks, and Hybrid Resistance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35719/bjp6yn23Keywords:
1916 Central Asian Revolt, Russian Empire, hybrid resistance, anti-colonial resistanceAbstract
The 1916 Central Asian Revolt was a major episode of anti-colonial resistance against Russian imperial rule, yet its organizational structures and locally embedded forms of mobilization remain insufficiently examined in Indonesian historiography. This study examines how colonial policies, traditional social networks, and local conditions shaped the organization and dynamics of the revolt. Using a qualitative historical approach and library research, the study draws on published primary historical documents, archival materials, books, journal articles, and related scholarship. The analysis follows the historical method of heuristic inquiry, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography, complemented by a structural analysis of the relationship between colonial policies, socio-political conditions, and resistance practices. The findings show that the revolt was characterized by decentralized but coordinated leadership, informal communication networks, and mobilization that drew on religious, clan, and ethnic affiliations. Economic dispossession, forced sedentary policies, political marginalization, and perceived threats to cultural and religious identity contributed to the formation of collective resistance. Regional variations in geography and social organization also shaped different forms of resistance while maintaining broader political objectives. The study argues that the revolt demonstrates a hybrid form of resistance in which traditional social structures and networks were adapted for political mobilization under colonial conditions. This perspective highlights the agency of Central Asian communities and challenges a rigid distinction between traditional and modern forms of anti-colonial resistance.
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