Matvei Nikolaevich Khangalov: an intellectual biography of a distinguished ethnographer

Abstract

In this article, we attempt to present an intellectual biography of the prominent Buryat ethnographer and public educator Matvei Khangalov (1858–1918). He remains an important figure in the Buryat public community, yet little attention has been paid to his life and work in anthropological studies. Drawing on archival and literary sources, as well as various recollections of his contemporaries, we explore his family background, pedagogical activities, public engagement, scholarly legacy and publications, tracing the chronology of his academic career and the scope of his field research and academic collaborations. The new findings shed light on the historical circumstances, shaped by the specific development of Mongol studies and ethnography within the Russian Empire, that provided the scholar with the opportunity to fully realize his creative potential.