Historical Context for Family Function Implementa-tion in the Mid-19th to Early 20th Centuries: A Case Study of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic

This study examines the historical context surrounding the implementation of core family functions among the populations of Kabarda and Balkaria in the middle of the XIX – early XX centuries. The aim of the study is to analyze the factors that influenced the evolution of family functions during this period. It is emphasized that while family traditions, which significantly impacted these functions, underwent specific modifications due to external forces – such as the development of economic and political relationships with neighboring ethnic groups and the Russian authorities – they largely remained constant until the early 20th century. Geographical determinants of the North Caucasus region dictated varying degrees of isolation for individual ethnic groups from broader processes of interethnic and intercultural interaction. Consequently, this imprinted itself on their lifestyle, familial relations, and the dynamics of economic activity. It is concluded that the vectorial nature of intrafamilial relationships among the Kabardians and Balkars, throughout the prolonged period, ensured family stability amidst the evolving socioeconomic landscape.