CULTURAL TRANSFORMATIONS IN TURKESTAN (1917–1920) THE EVOLUTION OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND THE FORMATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstrak

This article analyzes the profound political, social, and cultural transformations that occurred in the Turkestan region between 1917 and 1920, focusing specifically on the structural transition from traditional scholastic schooling to a contemporary secular educational framework. The study examines the ideological interplay and conflict between the educational initiatives of the national intelligentsia (the Jadids) and the subsequent centralization and ideological nationalization policies implemented by the Soviet regime. Particular attention is given to the institutional shifts within the school system, notably the methodology of the Usul-i Savtiya (New Method) schools, and the challenges of training national pedagogical cadres through early institutional structures such as Dar al-Muallimin. Furthermore, the article traces the dual-phase genesis of higher education in the region, starting from the community-driven "Turkestan Muslim People's University" in 1918 to the formal establishment of the Turkestan State University in 1920. Utilizing historical-comparative analysis, the paper demonstrates how the complex socio-political conditions of this transitional period laid the foundational bedrock for the modern scientific and pedagogical infrastructure across contemporary Central Asia.