Evolution of the Concept of Vagrancy in Russian Legislation (from the Second Half of the 17th to the First Half of the 19th Centuries)

Abstract

This article focuses on the evolution of the concept of vagrancy in Russia during the period between the second half of the 17th to the first half of the 19th centuries. A set of legislative acts defining vagrants as a separate social group are analyzed. The stages and causes that underlie the transformation of the concept of vagrancy in the state discourse of the Russian Empire are singled out, systematized, and described. A qualitative shift in the Russian state’s perception and understanding of vagrancy as a multifaceted phenomenon is revealed. Based on the results obtained, it is shown that the evolution of vagrancy unfolded in three stages. In the first stage (from the second half of the 17th to the first quarter of the 18th centuries), this concept had no legal status. In the second stage (from the second quarter to the end of the 18th century), vagrancy was gradually introduced into the official legal space of Russia. The third stage (the first half of the 19th century) was marked by the criminalization of this concept in Russian criminal legislation. The key indicators of this process were the introduction of the passport system, the discussions circulating in the Russian public around the status of fugitive people, the recognition of people «who do not remember their kinship» as a social group, and the efforts to curb poverty. The conclusions drawn contribute immensely to the development of historiographic research, as the concept of vagrancy and its formation have escaped the attention of most scholars and remain insufficiently explored.