Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika –
Зарубежная лингвистика и
лингводидактика – Foreign
Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Journal home page:
https://inscience.uz/index.php/foreign-linguistics
Imagological analysis of "freedom" concept through the
lens of F.M. Bailey's "A Visit to Bukhara"
Makhbuba ZIYODILLAEVA
1
Bukhara State University
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received March 2025
Received in revised form
10
April 2025
Accepted 2 April 2025
Available online
25 May 2025
This article explores the representation of Central Asian
peoples’ world outlook at the beginning of the 20th century. The
focus lies on the symbolic portrayals of freedom, power, and
identity, as depicted through cultural practices, clothing, and
gestures observed among various ethnic and religious groups
living in the Bukhara Emirate. Using metaphors and implicatures
embedded in Bailey's text, the study delves into the experiences
of Hindus, Jews, Russians, and local Muslims, revealing a multi-
layered understanding of social hierarchies and cultural tensions
during a period of significant political transformation. The
findings underscore the enduring relevance of imagological
approaches in illuminating the intersectionality of culture,
politics, and identity in historical contexts.
2181-3701/© 2025 in Science LLC.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-3701-vol3-iss5
This is an open-access article under the Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) license (
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ru
Keywords:
prototypical image,
imagological analysis,
comparative literary studies,
historical criticism,
orientational metaphors,
implicature,
ethnic stereotypes,
conceptual units.
F.M. Beylining “A Visit to Bukhara” sayohatnomasi
misolida “Erkinlik” konseptining imagologik tahlili
ANNOTATSIYA
Kalit so‘zlar:
prototipik obraz,
imagologik tahlil,
qiyosiy adabiyotshunoslik,
tarixiy tanqid,
oriyentatsion metafora,
implikatura,
etnik stereotiplar,
konseptual birliklar.
Ushbu maqola XX asr boshlarida Oʻrta Osiyo xalqlarining
konseptual dunyoqarishi tahlil qilgan. Buxoro amirligida
yashovchi turli etnik va diniy guruhlar o‘rtasida kuzatilgan
madaniy urf-odatlar, kiyim-kechak va imo-ishoralar vositasida
erkinlik, qudrat va o‘zlik tushunchalarini ramziy tasvirlashga
e’tibor qaratgan. F.M. Beyli sayohatnomasida ishlatilgan
metafora va implikaturalardan tahlilidan foydalangan
holda, tadqiqot hindular, yahudiylar, ruslar va mahalliy
musulmonlarning jamiyatdagi mavqeyini o‘rganadi. Bu esa
muhim siyosiy o‘zgarishlar davridagi ijtimoiy ierarxiyalar va
1
PhD Student, Bukhara State University. E-mail: maftunaziyadullayeva5@gmail.com
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 5 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
277
madaniy keskinliklarning ko‘p qatlamli tushunchasini ochib
beradi. Tadqiqot natijalari tarixiy kontekstlarda madaniyat,
siyosat va milliy o‘ziga xoslikning kesishgan nuqtasida
voqelanadigan
jarayonlarni
yoritishda
imagologik
yondashuvlarning doimiy dolzarbligini ta’kidlaydi.
Имагологический анализ концепта «Свобода» в
путеводитель Ф.М. Бейли «A Visit to Bukhara»
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
прототипический образ,
имагологический анализ,
сравнительное
литературоведение,
историческая критика,
ориентационные
метафоры,
импликатура,
этнические стереотипы,
концептуальные единицы.
В данной статье рассматривается репрезентация
народов Центральной Азии в начале XX века. Основное
внимание
уделяется
символическим
изображениям
свободы, власти и идентичности, которые отражены
в культурных практиках, одежде и жестах, наблюдаемых
среди различных этнических и религиозных групп,
проживающих в Бухарском эмирате. Используя метафоры и
импликатуры, заложенные в тексте Бейли, исследование
углубляется в опыт индусов, евреев, русских и местных
мусульман,
раскрывая
многослойное
понимание
социальных иерархий и культурной напряженности
в период значительных политических преобразований.
Результаты подчеркивают неизменную актуальность
имагологических подходов в освещении взаимосвязи
культуры, политики и идентичности в исторических
контекстах.
INTRODUCTION
To create a prototypical image of the Uzbek people of the early 20th century, we
turned to English travelogues. Their imagological analysis provided valuable information
about the mentality of these people in the minds of a person who is not of Uzbek
nationality. Imagological analysis is a research method used in literary studies, cultural
studies, and several other social sciences to form a national-cultural image, and began to
be studied as an independent scientific method in the middle of the 20th century. By the
end of the 20th century, the term “imagology” appeared. Initially, this approach was used
in literary studies. However, the origins of imagology go back much further. That is,
during the European Renaissance, ethnic stereotypes were presented as anthropological
categories by J. Vico, I. Herder, and other thinkers. The foundations of imagological
research include the 19th-century comparative literary studies and comparative
linguistics, and the school of cultural and historical criticism of I. Ten. The emergence of
imagology as an independent field from the humanities is associated with the scientific
research of several scholars in French comparative and historical literary studies in the
1950s, including Paul van Tigheme, Marius François Guiard, and Jean-Marie Carré. [3] In
1988, Hugo Dyserinck expressed the following opinion about the important
humanitarian role of imagology in his work “Komparatistische Imagology. Zur politische
Tragweite einer eurorische Wissenschaft von der Literatur”: “Imagology helps peoples to
recognize each other in the complex multinational European space.” [2] Representatives
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 5 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
278
of the socio-humanitarian sphere define imagology as follows: “...a general humanitarian
scientific discipline that studies the formation, perception and change of images
belonging to a country, people, culture, as well as practical activities related to the
creation of images.” [4] D.A. Pajo notes that imagological analysis has a three-stage
structure [5]:
1. identification of the image of the “other” (the people under study);
2. linguistic analysis;
3. comparison of the collected data with the cultural context of the era.
METHODS
The primary source of data was Bailey's travelogue, which offers rich descriptive
accounts of the region’s social structure, cultural practices, and daily life. These
narratives were analyzed through the lens of imagology, examining how specific images,
symbols, and gestures conveyed particular meanings related to freedom, status, and
identity. We identified key conceptual units such as “horse riding”, “carriages”, “strings”,
“khalats”, and “white turbans” which served as symbolic representations of different
societal roles and freedoms. In addition to textual analysis, we drew upon ethnographic
insights from secondary literature on Central Asian cultures to corroborate our
interpretations. This interdisciplinary approach enriched our understanding of the
symbolic significance of clothing, gestures, and rituals mentioned in the travelogue. It
should be noted that the travelogue reflects the perspective of a foreign observer, which
may introduce biases or misinterpretations due to cultural unfamiliarity. However, the
vivid detail and specificity of Bailey’s accounts provide valuable raw material for
imagological inquiry.
Through this systematic application of imagological analysis, we aimed to
illuminate the complex interplay of freedom, power, and identity within the multicultural
society of the Bukhara Emirate at the dawn of the 20th century.
RESULTS
At the beginning of the 20th century, the author describes the citizens of the
Bukhara Emirate, that is, Hindus and Jews, whose freedom was restricted: “The Hindus
and Jews are not allowed to ride a horse or in a carriage in the town, and are obliged to
wear a string round their waist outside their cloaks, and may not carry arms.” In this, the
concepts of “to ride a horse” and “carriage” are orientational metaphors, expressing a
high rank and position. After all, a person riding a horse or in a carriage is placed higher
than a pedestrian. This is a derivative of the “up is high, down is low” stereotype in
human thinking. The “string” gesture is a sign of slavery, restriction of freedom. The
image of walking, tied to a rope, indicates the restriction of the freedom of Jews and
Hindus. F.M. Bailey also describes the Russians and the local Muslim population in a
comparative way: “Russians, when in Bokhara, wear the brilliantly coloured khalat or
robe over their clothes, and on their heads the small sart skull-cap, or in winter a fur cap
of the Russian pattern. The Mohammedans wear large white turbans.” [1] The conceptual
unit “brilliantly coloured khalat” used in this passage is used about the Russians as a
symbol of greatness, power, and freedom, while the gestalt “large white turbans” is used
about the local Muslim population, expressing loyalty to religious beliefs. The
imagological analysis given by the author in this travelogue can be described as follows
through the meanings expressed by the following gestalts (Figure 1):
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 5 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
279
Figure 1.
A Gestalt analysis of Central Asian people in the 20th century
ANALYSIS
To study the place of the concept of “freedom” in Uzbek national culture at the
beginning of the 20th century, we used the travelogue “A Visit to Bokhara in 1919” by
F.M. Bailey, a military spy sent to Central Asia by the British government. The work
provides valuable information about the Uzbek nation at the beginning of the 20th
century using the example of the Bukhara Emirate. The writer describes the Central
Asian population of that time as a rebellious people and says: “The population is entirely
monarchist. When the Bolsheviks first came into power, they imagined that they could
revolutionize the whole of Turkistan. There was a small band of ruffianly Bokharan
subjects, most of whom had been forced to leave the country, who styled themselves the
“Young Bokhara Party”” [1] The implicatures “entirely monarchist”, “ruffianly Bokharan
subjects” in this passage create the conceptual field of “freedom”. As we know,
“monarchy” means the sole rule of the head of state with unlimited authority. The use of
the conceptual metaphor “entirely monarchist” about the population means that the
people have unlimited freedom. This shows the unruly character of the nation. The
conceptual metaphor “Ruffianly Bokharan subjects” refers to the rebellious, freedom-
seeking political group of “young Bukharas”.
At that time, although the Bolsheviks established their power in many regions of
Turkestan, power in Bukhara was still in the hands of the emir. F.M. Bailey explains this
as follows: “… whereas the real reason that the Bolsheviks did not attack Bokhara was the
fear of arousing a jehad among the Mohammedan population.” [1] In this passage, the
author refers to Muslims through the implicature “Mohammedan population”. That is, as
a person who does not belong to the Central Asian national culture, he uses the
conceptual unit “Mohammedan population” about these people, based on their lifestyle
and behavior. For this reason, he uses the lexeme “jehad” about the uprising of the people
for freedom. After all, “jihad” is a holy war. Therefore, the struggle of Muslims for
freedom against the Bolshevik regime is also realized through the concept of “jehad” in
the thinking of a person who does not belong to the culture of this people.
The travelogue emphasizes that in the 20th-century Bukhara Emirate, religious
leaders were given many rights and freedoms. F.M. Bailey writes about this: “The
Government, although autocratic, is very much in the hands of the Mohammedan clergy,
and the Emir is very far from having unlimited power.” [1] Here, the conceptual
metaphor of “hands” expresses the meaning of “unlimited privileges, power, and
freedom.” The implicature of “Far from having unlimited power” indicates that the Emir
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 5 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
280
had limited rights. Concluding the travelogue, F.M. Bailey also notes that some territories
under the Emirate were free from Russian rule, and that Bolshevik rule had not yet been
established there: “the control of the Russians over their subjects in the Murghab valley is
very loose.” [1] The conceptual metaphor of “lose control” refers to the relative freedom
of the lands around the Murghab valley.
DISCUSSION
The imagological analysis presented in this study reveals the intricate ways in
which the concept of "freedom" was constructed and represented in the early 20th-
century Bukhara Emirate. Through his travelogue, F.M. Bailey provides a unique window
into the cultural, social, and political landscape of Central Asia during a pivotal moment
in history. By decoding the symbolic meanings behind everyday gestures, clothing, and
social interactions, we gain insight into the complex relationships between different
ethnic and religious groups within the emirate. The comparative analysis between these
groups sheds light on the multifaceted nature of freedom within the emirate. While some
enjoyed relative autonomy and privilege, others faced systemic barriers that limited their
ability to participate fully in public life. This dichotomy underscores the deeply stratified
nature of society, where one's access to freedom is intimately tied to factors such as
ethnicity, religion, and social status. Ultimately, this study demonstrates the value of
imagological approaches in unpacking the complex interplay between culture, politics,
and identity. By examining the subtle cues embedded in everyday practices and language,
we can better understand how individuals and communities negotiate their place within
larger systems of power and control. The findings contribute to a more nuanced
understanding of Central Asian societies during a transformative era, offering insights
that remain relevant to contemporary discussions of diversity, tolerance, and the pursuit
of freedom.
REFERENCES:
1.
Bailey, F. M. A visit to Bokhara in 1919.
Geographical Journal
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(2), 1921. P-75.
https://doi.org/10.2307/1781557
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Dyserink H. Komparatistische Imagology. Zur politische Tragweite einer
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20. Jahrhunderts. Bonn, 1988. P-13.
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Теория и методология исторической науки. Терминологический словарь /
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Пашковская Т.Г. Современные тенденции развития исторической
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