Inventing the past: Discussion at the Round table “The Queen of All "Suembika"”

Syuyumbike, a ruler of the Kazan and Kasimov Khanates, has emerged as an iconic figure in the historical memory of the Tatar people, her image shaped primarily between the 17th century and the early 20th century. This transformation was driven by multiple factors: literary works during Russia's Romanticism period, her association with a tragic era in Tatar history, gendered emotional narratives centered on motherhood, and the inherent need for heroic figures of sacrifice in historical memory. The study, based on a roundtable discussion involving leading historians, analyzed these dynamics to reveal how Syuyumbike’s legacy was constructed and mythologized over centuries, transcending her actual historical role.

Gabdrafikova, L. R., Gabdrakhmanova, G. F., Garaev, D. M., Gibatdinov, M. M., Dusaeva, E. M., Izmailov, B. I., Izmailov, I. L., Sagitova, L. V., Khairutdinov, A. G., et al. (2025). Inventing the past: Discussion at the Round table “The Queen of All “Suembika””. Historical Ethnology, 10(3), 491–510. https://doi.org/10.22378/he.2025-10-3.491-510