Continuing Controversy Around the Phenomenon of Tatar Jadidism

Abstract

For over 50 years, there has been a debate among scholars on the issue of “Jadidism”. Some have tended to view this phenomenon as a broad social movement to reform a wide variety of aspects of the Muslim society, from religion, education, and art to nation-building and politics. Some equated Jadidism with religious reform, while others suggested separating Jadidism – understood as a reform of the education system – from activities in other social spheres. At the roundtable “The Phenomenon of Jadidism: Domestic and Foreign Interpretations in the 21st Century” held at the Kazan Federal University, the following range of issues were discussed: defining of the concept of “Jadidism”; the main representatives of this movement; and the relationship between Jadidism and religious reform.