Between the "state religion" press machine and the "Hay Bazaar " press: the public sphere of Muslims in Central Russia in the pre-revolutionary period

The article is devoted to the study of the phenomenon of the "public sphere" among Muslim Tatars before the October Socialist Revolution. The theoretical content of this term in domestic and foreign humanities is revealed, in relation to the Muslim, as well as the Tatar pre-revolutionary world is revealed. Based on the definition of sociologist Armando Salvatore, the individuals who construct this sphere are proposed. Their views are analyzed based on the entire amount of their written and published works. The similarity of views of the actors' views to each other is shown. The uniqueness and self-sufficiency of their views is proved. The "public sphere" they constitute is based on an understanding of justice (in a more religious sense) and articulation (consistency and clearly defined) position. For Musa Bigiev, the theological shift took place according to the formula "from worship to knowledge", that is, the de-actualization of religious practice in favor of speculative ideas and internal concepts and values. Gayaz Ishaki fought against oppression, prioritizing the slogans of "equality" and emancipation (increasingly collective). The famous politician Abdurrashid Ibragimov believed that Islam was the best and strongest worldview in the conditions of colonialism. Relying on it, Muslims cannot fail to defeat injustice, both socio-political and ontological. For citation: Gilmutdinov D.R. Between the “state religion” press machine and the “Hay Bazaar” press: the public sphere of Muslims in Central Russia in the pre-revolutionary period. From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2024, vol.14, no.2, pp.25–44. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2024-14-2.25-44 (In Russian)