Husain Faizkhanov (1823–1866) on Modernity: an Analysis of Correspondence Between 1855 and 1866

Abstract

The article is devoted to the views of Husain Faizkhanov on the realities of Modern times, which were reflected primarily in his correspondence in 1855–1866. We investigate how Husain- Hazrat reflects the geopolitical situation, that is, the Crimean War (1853–1856) and the subsequent expansion of Russian borders in Kazakhstan and Central Asia in the 1850s and the half of the 1860s. In the conditions of competition between Russia and the West, H. Faizkhanov analyzes the system of organization of European science, its connection with reality. We examined his reflection of the Great Reforms of the 1860s and to the opportunities that opened up as it’s result for Muslim Tatars. At the same time, we considered his attitude to similar modernization reforms in the Muslim world, primarily in the Ottoman Empire and Egypt.