“Who Am I?”: Revolutionary Narratives and the Production of the Minority Self in the Early Soviet Era

This article traces a complex discourse of the self in the early Soviet era, navigating the identities both assumed by and ascribed to M. Kh. Sultan-Galiev (1892–1940), a Volga Tatar and at one time the highest-ranking Muslim in the Communist Party. Sultan-Galiev balanced a number of influences, most particularly his Tatar nationality, his Muslim background, and his belief in the objectives of a socialist revolution. Sultan-Galiev strayed too far from ideological orthodoxy, though, which led to his 1923 arrest. Drawing on the field of Soviet subjectivities, I analyze the role of narrative in both the defense and vilification of Sultan-Galiev.