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Theoretical and methodological basis of the history of
Central Ferghana irrigation
Maftunakhon RUZIKULOVA
1
Ferghana State University
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received October 2024
Received in revised form
15 November 2024
Accepted 25 November 2024
Available online
25 December 2024
The article studies the theoretical and methodological
foundations of the history of irrigation in Central Ferghana and
reveals the aspects necessary for studying the topic with the
help of scientific literature.
2181-
1415/©
2024 in Science LLC.
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-1415-vol5-iss12/S-pp
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:
Central Ferghana,
irrigation,
land reclamation,
Andijan,
Namangan,
Ferghana,
methodology,
hermeneutics,
method.
Markaziy Farg‘ona sug‘orilish tarixining nazariy
-
metodologik asoslari
ANNOTATSIYA
Kalit so
‘
zlar:
Markaziy Farg`ona,
irrigatsiya,
melioratsiya,
Andijon,
Namangan, Farg`ona,
metodologiya,
germenevtika,
Metod,
девиант хулқ
-
атвор
.
Maqolada Markaziy Farg‘ona irrigatsiya tarixining nazariy va
uslubiy asoslari o‘rganilib, mavzuni ilmiy adabiyotlar
yordamida o‘rganish uchun zarur bo‘lgan jihatlar ochib
berilgan.
1
Doctoral Student, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in History, Ferghana State University
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Теоретико
-
методологические
основы
истории
ирригации Центральной Ферганы
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
Центральная Фергана,
ирригация,
мелиорация,
Андижан,
Наманган,
Фергана,
методология,
герменевтика,
метод.
В статье изучаются теоретические и методологические
основы истории ирригации Центральной Ферганы и
раскрываются аспекты, необходимые для изучения темы с
помощью научной литературы.
INTRODUCTION
After the collapse of the Soviet state, the historiography of the former Soviet
republics completely abandoned communist ideology, and various methods and
methodologies appeared in scientific research [1]. It was during the period of
independence that the processes of objective analysis of the colonial practice of the Soviet
era began. The first President I. Karimov commented on the history of irrigation in the
1960s of Soviet rule and the state of development of protected lands and the quality of
water resources as follows: “The quality of water resources is one of the most
important
problems. Since the 1960s, new lands have been developed on a large scale in Central Asia.
Industrial and livestock complexes have been extensively developed. Urbanization has
intensified. Collector-ditch systems have been built, and river water has been withdrawn
for irrigation in consistently high volumes. Because of this, the quality of water in the
basins has been steadily deteriorating” [2]. The research work conducted in this study
comprehensively and reasonably analysed theoretical views and considerations on the
history of irrigation and land reclamation of Central Ferghana. The construction of
numerous large water structures in the Andijan, Namangan and Ferghana regions of
Central Ferghana was influenced by the colonial agrarian policy of the centre. These
engineering projects were not designed to satisfy the local population's demand for
drinking water; rather, their primary function was to facilitate the irrigation of extensive
cotton fields.
RESEARCH METHODS
As noted above, during the Soviet Union, the mass development of new lands
gradually accelerated the drying of the Aral Sea. The development of large desert areas in
agriculture required a large amount of water resources, and the sources of the Amu Darya
and Syr Darya were taken in excess of the norm for the purpose of creating reserves. The
President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Sh.M. Mirziyoyev, in turn, expressed his views on
the socio-
economic consequences of the Aral Sea disaster: “One of the most acute
environmental problems of today is the Aral Sea disaster. There is no need for further
comments on the issue of the Aral Sea disaster. Eliminating the consequences associated
with the drying up of the sea requires active coordination of international efforts. It is
necessary to develop measures for the full implementation of the special program adopted
this year by the UN to provide practical assistance to the population affected by the Aral
Sea disaster”[3].
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It is estimated that until 1960, approximately 50 km3 of water from the major
Central Asian rivers, the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, was routinely utilised for irrigation
and the development of new agricultural areas. Within this region, 5.2 million hectares of
land were irrigated, with an annual water consumption of around 10,000 m3 per hectare
of cultivated land. However, over the subsequent twenty-five-year period, a further 1.7
million hectares of land were developed in the region, resulting in a complete cessation of
the flow of water into the sea. At present, approximately
55 km³ of water is utilised for
irrigation purposes, yet the water consumed per hectare of newly cultivated crops has
increased by a factor of 3.5, reaching 35,000 m³ per annum. [4]. The cultivation of existing
irrigated lands in agriculture was also unsa
tisfactory. In particular, “During the Soviet era,
due to the efforts of the republican leadership, as well as significant investments in the
Uzbek SSR from the Union budget, large-scale irrigated agriculture developed in the 1960s
and 1970s. On the one hand, this allowed the republic to solve the problem of demography
and employment to a certain extent by involving a large part of the population in
agricultural production. At the same time, mass land reclamation also led to serious
environmental consequences: the Aral Sea began to dry up rapidly, large areas became
saline and unusable”[5].
Therefore, it has become necessary to evaluate social processes and human history
from the perspective of the requirements of modern civilization, to look at the past in
terms of today's needs and to give it an appropriate assessment. It should be recognized
that one of the modern ways of approaching and perceiving human history is the
hermeneutic way of thinking. Hermeneutics (from Greek, hermeneia, hermeneuuein -
meaning interpreter) is a set of rules and methods for interpreting existing texts in certain
branches of knowledge [6]. This term is one of the branches of philosophy that deals with
the general analysis of the conditions of understanding and comprehension, and
hermeneutic philosophers examine how, for example, the cultural traditions, history,
language, and nature of people, which are of a timeless nature, influence interpretation [7].
The German philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900
–
2002), who introduced the
term hermeneutics into science, initiated a unique direction in the philosophical
understanding of the world, the evaluation of human history and its understanding
through philosophical perception of the world [8]. In particular, the hermeneutic
philosophical interpretation of history and historical processes is perceived as the level of
ability to interpret and understand directly past events in a unique way. In turn, Gadamer
emphasizes that in the subject of hermeneutic philosophy, “the study that informs ab
out
historical reality consists not only of a set of concrete facts and general ideas, but also of a
full understanding of the text formed through the general knowledge of humanity,
penetration into its content-essence, philosophical-logical, spiritual-moral concepts, spirit
and emotion play a key role” [9].
The scientist posits that true understanding is synonymous with a productive
attitude, which in turn facilitates the process of direct historical understanding. The
predominant conceptualisation of hermeneutics is that of a theoretical or scientific
framework for understanding. In order to comprehend particular phenomena in the real
world or to interpret any historical document (in the terminology of hermeneutics), an
individual must possess a certain "historical understanding" of the "text" or a certain
"beginning of understanding". It is imperative to comprehend the historical context in
which one operates, identify the underlying "principles", and strive to understand the
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historical situation. This involves analysing the events depicted in the text, and, in essence,
"absorbing" the text, "feeling" it, and subsequently interpreting, evaluating, and analysing
facts, phenomena, and processes.
The Italian jurist and philosopher Emilio Betti (1890
–
1968) recognized
hermeneutics as a general methodological basis for the spiritual sciences. In 1955, Betti’s
main hermeneutic work, the two-
volume “General Theory of Interpretation,” was
published in Milan. This published book is a brief and systematically incomplete synopsis
of Betti’s hermeneutic methodology: the scientist defines the main hermeneutic concepts
(meaningful form, presentation, creativity, understanding, interpretation, etc.), reveals
epistemological specificity and distinguishes the main types of interpretation, and finally
formulates normative rules (canons) of interpretation [10].
Hermeneutic approaches are thematized according to their content and are used in
many scientific disciplines: history, archeology, architecture, ecology, international
relations, political theory, psychology, religion, sociology, etc. In particular, philosophical
hermeneutics is unique in that it systematically deals with the nature of meaning and
understanding or interpretation, rather than a separate approach to meaning.
Hermeneutics, in turn, is considered in philosophy as the art of understanding history,
culture, and other individuality [11].
At the same time, this science is directly concerned with the problems of
understanding and explanation. At the same time, Gadamer's hermeneutics is also
considered as a philosophical observational ontology of the methodology of existing social
sciences. Therefore, in the research work, this methodology was comprehensively applied
and relevant considerations were made in understanding and understanding important
processes related to the history of the development and irrigation of the Central Fergana
reserve. The philosophical-methodological theory that understands hermeneutics as
interpretation was developed by the German theologian and classical philologist F.
Schleiermacher (1768 - 1834) [12]. Schleiermacher's hermeneutics not only had a
historicist nature, but also continued the tradition of considering hermeneutics as a
philosophical method by the German philosopher W. Dilthey (1833 - 1911). He
approached the hermeneutic interpretation of history in his own way, and he put forward
different and more perfect ideas. According to his conclusions, the main problem of
understanding history, historical truth and historical processes is to intuitively feel their
essence. That is, he approved the need to study them by intuitively entering the social and
spiritual environment of that period in the interpretation and perception of any historical
reality.
In consideration of the aforementioned significant philosophical concepts,
approaches and aspects, it is essential to emphasise that following Uzbekistan's attainment
of independence, a comprehensive avenue was established for the objective study and
interpretation of historical processes and events. Consequently, the research endeavours
have been meticulously directed towards the examination of historical processes during
the Soviet period through the lens of hermeneutic thinking. This entails the discernment
and interpretation of events during that colonial period in a distinctive manner. It was
precisely during the Soviet period that there was a need to study the history of the period
of Soviet rule on the basis of the essence of the idea of national independence, to review,
honestly describe and analyze the events that took place during it, which were of a
historical nature. It is important to note that during the period of Soviet rule, significant
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issues in Uzbek historiography were deliberately distorted, interpreted and falsified by
order of the centre. In the contemporary context, the imperative to provide a balanced and
objective appraisal of the events and historical processes that transpired during the period
of Soviet colonialism has attained the status of a matter of state policy. A series of historical
decisions have been made in this regard, with a particular focus on the development of
historical science. As everyone knows, “Uzbekistan went through a complex and
contradictory period of colonialism of the Russian Empire and the Soviet rule, which lasted
for more than a century. However, even in such a terrible period, despite all the oppression
and tyranny, our people did not lose themselves, their identity. They preserved their
language, religion, and faith. Even in such times of injustice and violence, true patriots who
lived with the sorrow of the nation and people emerged from our country”[13].
The agrarian policy modeled on the colonialism of the Russian Empire was logically
and consistently continued during the years of Soviet power, and the republic, and in
particular the Fergana Valley, was transformed into the cotton raw material base of the
center, the gross harvest was increased, and the cotton, cocoons, karakul skins, fruits,
vegetables, and melons produced were regularly transported to the former Union. The
finished cotton product regularly supplied textile enterprises, chemical-pharmaceutical,
and military industries in Russia and other European countries with raw materials. It is
worth noting that the foundation stone for these efforts was first laid during the reign of
the Russian Empire. In particular, the essence of the main ideas of the colonial spirit
applied by the Chief Agricultural Officer of the Russian Empire A. Krivoshein to the
Turkestan region
was reflected in the following: “There are three aspects to this central
issue. If in the first the shining inscription is “cotton”, in the second “irrigation”, and finally
in the third, although not so conspicuous, the most important of all is the inscription
“relocation and settlement of Russian
-
speaking peoples” [14].
CONCLUSION
Indeed, throughout the entire period of Soviet power, cotton constituted
approximately 75 percent of the arable land in all regions. The cultivation of grain and
other agricultural crops deemed essential for local sustenance was not implemented.
Consequently, all sectors of agricultural production, with the exception of cotton,
underwent a substantial decline in many regions. It is evident that such a colonial practice
has not been observed in the history of any other country worldwide. The accelerated
development and integration of protected and fallow lands in Central Fergana into
agricultural use within the framework of the cotton monopoly policy resulted in a
substantial augmentation in cotton yields.
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