THE SOVIET UNION’S EDUCATION AND CULTURAL POLICIES IN TURKESTAN: SOCIALIST TRANSFORMATION AND IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION (1917-1991)

Authors : Nurullah Çetin

Pages : 15-28

View : 86 | Download : 35

Publication Date : 2025-06-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :From the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 onward, the Soviet Union sought to impose socialist ideology and integrate the Turkistan region into the Soviet system through its education and cultural policies. Education was not merely a tool for increasing literacy rates but a strategic instrument for constructing a Soviet identity. Traditional educational institutions were abolished and replaced with Soviet schools structured around an ideological curriculum. In the cultural sphere, Islamic institutions and traditional arts were banned, giving way to a new cultural framework shaped by socialist realism. During Stalin’s rule, centralist and repressive policies intensified, systematically suppressing local identities. Although some reforms were implemented under Khrushchev and Brezhnev, the fundamental structure of Soviet ideology remained intact. With Gorbachev’s tenure, the policies of Glasnost and Perestroika opened avenues for cultural liberalization, paving the way for the revival of local identities. In this context, the Soviet Union’s education and cultural policies in Turkistan not only transformed the lifestyles of the region’s inhabitants but also had lasting effects on their identity, language, and cultural heritage. This study aims to analyze the long-term impact of Soviet education and cultural policies on the peoples of Turkistan. The article demonstrates that the Soviet Union employed education and culture not solely as instruments of development and modernization but also as mechanisms of ideological control. The transformation of the education system was designed to integrate the local population into the socialist order, with the ultimate goal of assimilating their identities. Cultural policies, in turn, sought to suppress traditional elements and construct a new Soviet cultural identity. By examining the complex relationship between modernization and ideological control, this study sheds light on the enduring consequences of these policies in contemporary times.
Keywords : Türkistan, Sovyet Eğitim Politikaları, Kültürel Dönüşüm, Kimlik İnşası, Sosyalist İdeoloji

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