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Abstract
The article examines the lives and service careers of Caucasian highlanders in Imperial Russian service during the Caucasus War (1801–1864). It traces not only the trajectories of prominent historical figures but also the fates of lesser-known actors. These cases reveal the functional roles assigned by the empire, the presence or absence of mental boundaries, and local communities’ perceptions of imperial service.
The study’s aim is a historical-anthropological analysis of highlanders’ service within Russian military-political institutions, based on personal writings and administrative records. The findings suggest that, for highlanders in Russian service, the primary motive was to enhance their standing within the local community rather than to climb the empire-wide hierarchy of ranks and titles. They often sought, through the empire, to raise their political and/or moral prestige among compatriots. When imperial service failed to increase this communal standing—or, conversely, undermined and burdened a highlander’s reputation—he began to question the correctness of his choice.
This perspective helps to explain the frequent shifts in political identity, as well as the “unexpected” defections and desertions from Russian service that punctuate the history of the Caucasus War.
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