The work is devoted to the history of studying Central Asia nomad peoples. Insignificancy of the actual information on the history of Central Asia gathered by the researchers stipulated preliminary and common opinions of nomads’ world outlook development in the second half of XIX - the beginning of XX centuries. Transition from evolutionism, dominant in previous period, to Marxist formation methodology took shape in methodological aspect in 1920s - the beginning of 1930s. That’s why scientists aspired to connect nomads’ development with phased theory, including spiritual sphere. Attraction of different written and partially ethnographic data, without consideration of chronological, territory frames and cultural-historical succession among peoples, did not make it possible to work out methodological bases for world outlook reconstructions.

Key words: historiography, nomads, Central Asia, world outlook, reconstruction, methodology, ideology.