From the Ural Mountains to Fuji: A Geochronicle of the Journey of Ishan Kurbangali

The subject of the study is the participation of Russian Muslims in the White Movement and their emigration to Far Eastern countries, as exemplified by one of the figures of the Muslim and Bashkir national movement, Muhamed-Gabdulkhay Kurbangaliev (Ishan Kurbangali). The aim of the study is to reconstruct Ishan’s biography using methods of historical informatics. The sources include materials from Kurbangaliev’s investigative cases held in the Central Archive of the FSB and the National Archive of the Republic of Bashkortostan. The digitized archival materials were transformed into a database. To visualize Kurbangaliev’s spatial mobility, geodata mapping was performed using Google Maps services. His biography is examined within the framework of the "transborder biographies" methodology, rejecting binary categorizations ("us/them") in favor of hybridity (S. Conrad). A multi-layered geodatabase was created, combining spatial and attributive characteristics, and including descriptions of events, 204 locations, and 507 individuals. A geochronicle of Kurbangaliev’s life was constructed. Analysis of the geodata identified the main centers of Kurbangaliev’s activity – Chita, Manchuria, and Japan. An examination of his contacts in Tokyo revealed a core network of 12 individuals: imams, General Staff officers, representatives of Japanese ruling circles, and members of the Ottoman dynasty. This study presents Kurbangaliev within the context of multiple intersecting identities – religious, national, and political. It is proven that his activities in Japan (establishing a mosque, publishing a journal, and maintaining ties with Japanese politicians) contributed to the institutionalization of Islam in the region and stimulated discussions among Japanese Muslims about the Religious Organizations Law (April 8, 1939). The analysis of archival materials using methods of historical informatics, geodata mapping, and the "transborder biographies" methodology not only reconstructed Kurbangaliev’s biography but also situated it within the broader context of 20th-century transnational processes.

Geodatabase, Mapping, Mukhamed-Gabdulkhay Kurbanagaliev, White movement, Emigration, Japan, Islam, Russia, Manchuria, Siberia