The everyday life of rural residents in Irkutsk province at the beginning of the 20th century: methodological approaches to source study

The article demonstrates the application of fundamental theoretical and methodological concepts to analyze descriptions of the everyday life of rural residents in Irkutsk Province at the beginning of the 20th century, as presented in various personal sources. The authors outline key concepts of the theory of everyday life and methods for its analysis, which can be employed in reconstructing such an elusive subject as rural everyday life on the eastern periphery of the Russian Empire. The central source of this study is the diaries of the Buryat ethnographer Matvey Nikolaevich Khangalov, in which he depicted rural everyday life. These diaries are complemented by other sources that provide a more objective picture of the topic under study. The use of terms, concepts, and methods from the history of everyday life enables researchers to uncover the “second” and “third” layers of meaning in M. N. Khangalov's diaries. The examination of the scholar's ego-documents enriches the historical narrative with details and nuances of the lives of “ordinary” rural residents.