Education and the Crisis of Social Cohesion in Azerbaijan and Central Asia

• Published in: Comparative education review 2007-05, Vol.51 (2), p.159-180
• Main Authors: Silova, Iveta, Johnson, Mark S, Heyneman, Stephen P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aserbaidschan; Asia; Asien; Authoritarianism; Azerbaijan; Bildung; Bildungsreform; Bildungswesen; Caucasus Region; Central Asia - Educational policy; Children; Countries; Cultural Pluralism; Curricula; Curriculumreform; Economic policy; Economic regions; Economic systems; Education policy; Educational Policy; Educational reform; Einflussfaktor; Erziehung; Finanzierung; Foreign Countries; Fundamentalismus; Geschichte (Histor); Gesellschaftssystem; Infrastructure; Islam; Islamic culture; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Muslims; Nationale Identität; Political behavior; Political Socialization; Qualitätssicherung; Religion; Religious Cultural Groups; Role of Education; Rural schools; School Buildings; Secondary schools; Social Action; Social Bias; Social impact; Social Responsibility; Socialization; Sowjetunion; Tajikistan; Transformation; Transition economies; Turkmenistan; Uzbekistan
• ISSN: 0010-4086; 1545-701X
• DOI: 10.1086/512022

Of the 15 republics that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, six have predominantly Muslim populations. These nations are Azerbaijan, in the southern Caucasus, and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in Central Asia, with a combined population of approximately 65 million people. As Soviet power declined and then finally collapsed, these six newly independent nations found themselves confronted with a world of competing philosophies ranging from the liberal secularism of Russia and Turkey to various moderate and reformist religious movements to varieties of fundamentalism and Islamist political movements emanating from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. During the transition period since 1991, the region has been afflicted by acute problems, including endemic state crisis, crime and narcotics, ethnic tensions, corruption, and competition over energy resources. ... This article examines the role of education in the maintenance of social cohesion and the formation of new identities amid the economic decline and political volatility of these six new nations. One of the most acute questions is whether the degradation of the state-sponsored secular educational systems is approaching a "tipping point." This is the point at which institutional and professional capacity drain away so that the educational systems are no longer capable of regenerating themselves. If the state-sponsored secular educational systems continue to fail, will young people continue to emigrate or seek escape in drug abuse, illegal activities, or social alternatives in the form of nationalism, political radicalism, or religious extremism? In this article, [the authors] first describe the historical legacies in education in the period before independence in 1991. Then [they] analyze the systemic crises in education since 1991, as well as the newly independent nations' often halfhearted attempts to embrace Islam and to find some place for religious and ethical thought and values in what had been aggressively secular educational systems. [They] pay particular attention to the ways in which the educational systems have deteriorated since 1991, examining economic deterioration, the degradation of educational infrastructure, and the decline in enrollment and retention, while considering the effects of these crises on social cohesion and political legitimacy. [The authors] conclude with some thoughts about the potential struggles t