The Establishment and Dissolution of the Subbotnik Communities of Petrovka as a Case Study Reflecting Shifts in Russian Geopolitical Interests toward Raskol’nik Religious Settlements in Southern Caucasus, 1909–1915

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I enjoyed reading this article, a well-researched study of the Subbotnik communities of the South Caucasus. It is based on detailed archival research from RGIA in St Petersburg, the National Archives of Georgia and - very unusually - the National Historical Archive of Azerbaijan in Baku, where relatively few researchers have been able to work. I found the overall argument of a shift in official Russian attitudes towards these communities owing to an evolving geopolitical situation to be broadly plausible. However, I would like to see some significant revisions made before publication. Firstly the article needs to be better-situated within the existing historiography. Although Breyfogle's work appears in the bibliography, it is not cited and we get no sense of how the author's work relates to his conclusions on the raskolnik communities of the South Caucasus. I'd also have expected some reference to Shafiyev's Resettling the Borderlands, which makes some related arguments about the Tsarist regime's strategic approach to resettlement, albeit rather compromised by his anti-Armenian agenda.

I also think a little more preliminary explanation of who the Subbotniks were and what they believed (as well as the doctrines of other groups mentioned, such as the Karaites) would help make the article clearer to non-specialist readers, and I would welcome as much detail as the author has of how these communities evolved socially over time - the perspective of the imperial state is what dominates the article, understandably enough given the source base, but anything that could be added to give a clearer sense of how these communities functioned from the bottom up would hugely enrich the analysis. Finally, while the argument is clear, the author could afford to end the article with a bit more of a flourish - and perhaps provide some more human detail on what became of these communities or individuals from them, if anything at all is available.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The English of the article is generally clear, but rather stilted and mechanical, and there are some terms that have been mistranslated - most notably 'Pravoslavic' for 'Orthodox Christian', which needs to be changed throughout. IT would benefit greatly from being copy-edited by a native speaker.

Author Response

1.Is the content succinctly described

Reply:
The informative part of the article, namely abstract and introduction, was shortened.

2.Firstly the article needs to be better-situated within the existing historiography.

Reply:
Done throughout the entire article as recommended by the referee.

3.Based on the suggestion of referee 1 the term ‘Pravoslav’ was changed to ‘Orthodox’ throughout the article.

4. Although Breyfogle's work appears in the bibliography, it is not cited and we get no sense of how the author's work relates to his conclusions on the raskolnik communities of the South Caucasus.

Reply:
The referee is absolutely right. The reference to Breyfogle’s 2005 study here is out of place, and it has been deleted here and from the bibliography. His reference was here due to an earlier draft of the article, in which more general information about the Subbotniks were provided here; but those were deleted during the shortening of the article, forgetting to delete the reference to Breyfogle’s 2005 study.

5.I also think a little more preliminary explanation of who the Subbotniks were and what they believed (as well as the doctrines of other groups mentioned, such as the Karaites) would help make the article clearer to non-specialist readers, and I would welcome as much detail as the author has of how these communities evolved socially over time - the perspective of the imperial state is what dominates the article, understandably enough given the source base, but anything that could be added to give a clearer sense of how these communities functioned from the bottom up would hugely enrich the analysis.

Reply:
All the details that the referee recommends to add are in Dunavev's report, and those are given here on page 5 as well as on the next 3 pages.

6.Wording was changed on page 7 according to referee 1’s suggestion.

7.I'd also have expected some reference to Shafiyev's Resettling the Borderlands, which makes some related arguments about the Tsarist regime's strategic approach to resettlement

Reply:
Done as requested!

8.Finally, while the argument is clear, the author could afford to end the article with a bit more of a flourish - and perhaps provide some more human detail on what became of these communities or individuals from them, if anything at all is available.

Reply:
Done

 

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This is a terrific short article on the Subbotniks and Russian geopolitics in the Caucasus, especially at the turn of the twentieth century. The author has uncovered a fascinating story that is well framed and argued. I have no major criticisms, and I encourage the author to integrate more secondary works, including these works into the project:

Paul Werth The Tsar's Foreign Faiths: Toleration and the Fate of Religious Freedom in Imperial Russia (Oxford University Press, 2014).  

Michael Reynolds Shattering Empires: The Clash and Collapse of the Ottoman and Russian Empires 1908–1918 (Cambridge 2011)

Peter Holquist - several works such as 

• “The World Turned Upside Down: Refugee Crisis and Militia Massacres in Occupied Northern Persia, 1917-1918,” in Le Génocide des Arméniens: Cent ans de recherché, 1915-2015, ed. Conseil scientifique international pour l’étude du génocide des Arméniens (Paris: Armand Colin, 2015), pp. 130-54.

Author Response

1. Werth was added according to the recommendation of referee 2

2. At this point it should be pointed out that all the recommendations of referee 2 have been implemented in the text, with the exception of the recommendation to refer to the following article:: 
“The World Turned Upside Down: Refugee Crisis and Militia Massacres in Occupied Northern Persia, 1917-1918,” in Le Génocide des Arméniens: Cent ans de recherché, 1915-2015, ed. Conseil scientifique international pour l’étude du génocide des Arméniens (Paris: Armand Colin, 2015), pp. 130-54.

Since the above-mentioned collection, in which the recommended article appears, expressing a clear political position, it would be better to avoid referring to it, and my article does not refer to the Armenian question.

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I am happy to recommend this article's publication following the changes made by the author following my initial review. The article is now more clearly situated within the existing historiography, and elements of the background to these religious communities are now more clearly explained. I appreciate the reference to Shafiyev's work - I am not sure I myself fully agree with his thesis that the Tsarist regime consistently promoted Christian settlement in the South Caucasus (he underplays the hostility towards the Armenians and their church under Golitsyn) - nor would I describe this as 'artificial' - but I appreciate the author may be more in agreement with Shafiyev's conclusions. 

This is a well-researched study which makes a solid empirical contribution to the history of a religious minority on the borders of the Russian empire, and I think it can now be published, subject to copy-editing (See below).

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The quality of the English is good, but it is still clear that the author is not a native speaker. The article would benefit from a final proof-reading by a native speaker before publication.