Islamic Historiography and ‘Bulghar’ Identity Among the Tatars and Bashkirs of Russia

This text deals with the development of Bulghar regional identity among Tartars and Bashkirs - Muslims living in the Volga-Ural region. Based on locally-produced Islamic manuscripts, the book examines how these Muslims manipulated legends, conversion narratives, and sacred geography to create a body of sacred historiography that expressed a meaningful regional identity, and one which responds to the changing relationship between these Muslims and the Russian state over the 19th century. The book also traces the debate between traditionalist supporters and reformist detractors of this sacred historiography in the 19th century, and addresses the fate of Bulghar identity in the 20th century, including its transformation in Soviet and post-Soviet times into a secularized national identity.