The Civilizational Approach in the Western Caucasus Society Study: Methodological Aspect
Some regional historiography problems of the Western Caucasus, Adyghe/Cherkess, social development study are considered in the article. The desire to change methodological paradigms is evident in these studies since the 1990s. It is characterized by attempts to include the peoples of the Western Caucasus in the Caucasian civilization, civilizational approach in the study of social relations and history using, the rejection of the formational approach in the social development study in some cases. Attempts of the revaluation of the pre-revolutionary and Soviet researchers views on Cherkess/Adyghe and the Black Sea native’s ethno-social, political, economic and cultural development are carried out on this basis. This leads to the modeling of social connections and institutions, the existence of which is difficult to confirm, the introduction of new scientific categories without disclosing their content. The expressed opinions are politicized. Adyghe/Cherkess society is considered as formed society in regional historiography. This society had social and economic development unique features; autochthonous peoples (Abadzekhs, Shapsugs, Natukhai) “pre-industrial agricultural civilization” had developed on the Black Sea Coast; their nature management traditional forms (culture, livelihood) are unique and have civilizational significance and ethnic specificity; Cherkess tribes had the state institutions formation experience and “Cherkess” was a state entity; “the Cherkess Mejlis (created in 1861) was an an institution of state power; the political “consolidation” and “united state formation processes were based on the society” democratization during the XVIII-XIX centuries; They acquire to a greater extent declarative in nature, focused on the ethnic identity of historical justification. This issue is considered on the basis of: a) historiographical sources of the XIX century analysis in the regional Soviet and Russian historiography and officers-participants of the Russian-Caucasian war of the XIX century memories, containing information about the Western Caucasus Cherkess/Adyghe social system.