The Teacher of National Reforms (A Look at Mahmudkhoja Behbudi’s Activities in the Development of Education in Turkestan)

This article provides a scholarly analysis of the formation of the Jadid educational and enlightenment movement in the history of Turkestan, emphasizing its close interrelation with social, political, and cultural factors. It highlights the personality of Mahmudkhoja Behbudi, his concept of national reform, and his significant role in modernizing the education system, as well as in developing the national press and theatre. The ideas of national awakening are examined on the basis of the curriculum, textbooks, and pedagogical views promoted by Behbudi within the framework of the “usul-i jadid” (new method) schools. The article also explores the struggle between religious and secular education systems during the period of Russian colonial rule and reveals the efforts of the Jadids to awaken the nation spiritually and intellectually. Behbudi’s activities are interpreted as a key source of the idea of national self-awareness and the advancement of the nation through knowledge and enlightenment. The study approaches the history of the Jadid movement from a new academic perspective.