Rethinking the "production of knowledge" as a methodological approach in historical research

Abstract

The article is devoted to theoretical approaches in contemporary works of foreign authors who study the issues of "knowledge production" within the constructivist methodology. The historiography of this topic is quite extensive. It is based on the study of the relationship between science and power. One of the main aspects of this problem is the consideration of scientific interpretations that could serve to justify political regimes or the transformation of knowledge to serve the interests of power. Especially the study of this aspect of the connection between knowledge and power was expressed in studies on the interaction of authorities with the scientific community, which ensured the interests of empires in the conquered territories. In the proposed analysis of articles, attention is focused on the sources of clichés that were formed within the framework of evolutionary theory, colonial explanatory schemes, which have not yet received a complete rethinking. In this regard, the article mentions the theoretical roots of discourse analysis. The attention is paid to the study of the British scholar Bernard Cohn, who undertook a study of the imperial practices of the British in India. The article also analyzes the works devoted to the rethinking of statements relating to some pages of the history of Kazakhstan, formulated in the colonial period. The relevance of popularizing the deconstruction of colonial knowledge lies in the fact of its presence in contemporary interpretations of history in a huge range of topics that require critical analysis. In this regard, the analysis of foreign works, including those related to the history of Kazakhstan, is likely to be useful and increase interest in such studies