“Education in the spirit of faith”: a reflection of the imperial policy of acculturation in the “Regulations on the shelter for young children at the Princely-Mikhailovsky Bolshederbetovsky missionary camp”

Abstract

This study presents for the first time the document “Regulations on the shelter for young children at the Princely-Mikhailovsky Bolshederbetovsky missionary camp”. This source is devoted to the topic of missionary work and education on the territory of the Bolshederbetovsky ulus of the Stavropol province at the end of the 19th century. The scientific article presents the full content of this Regulation. The relevance of this work is that a visual study of such materials allows us to see in detail the main goals and objectives of the imperial policy in matters of introducing Kalmyks to Orthodoxy and spreading literacy among them. The Regulation also examines in detail all organizational aspects related to the organization of the educational and upbringing process. From the document, we can learn that the management of this shelter was carried out by representatives of the clergy and civil servants. It is worth noting that the functions of civil servants mainly included organizational tasks, while the clergy monitored the educational and upbringing process. According to the terms of the Regulation, Kalmyk children (baptized and unbaptized), as well as Russian children, were accepted to the shelter. Overall, this document is a clear example of the reflection of the imperial policy of acculturation of non-Slavic people on the outskirts of the Russian Empire through the introduction of Kalmyks to Orthodoxy and their subsequent education