Norming the Steppe

This chapter focuses on a series of statistical research expeditions to the Kazak steppe and how statistical knowledge provided what seemed to be a scientific basis for peasant colonization, without harming the interests of Kazaks who remained nomadic. As the tsarist state began to endorse a policy of peasant resettlement to the steppe, both advocates and opponents of colonization sounded a note of caution. There were questions about the suitability of large swaths of the steppe for agriculture, and about how much land Kazak nomads might require for their own subsistence. The chapter first provides an overview of the Shcherbina Expedition before discussing the problems that arose from plans to apply the norm-and-surplus system to Semirech'e province that was opened for peasant settlement.