Cultural backwardness

Cultural backwardness (Russian: культурная отсталость, romanized: kul'turnaya otstalost') was a term used by Soviet politicians and ethnographers. There were at one point officially 97 "culturally backward" nationalities in the Soviet Union.^[1] Members of a "culturally backward" nationality were eligible for preferential treatment in university admissions.^[2] In 1934 the Central Executive Committee declared that the term should no longer be used; however, preferential treatment for certain minorities and the promotion of local nationals in the party structure through korenizatsiya continued for several more years.^[3]

Characteristics

The People's Commissariat for Education listed five official characteristics of culturally backward nationalities:^[4]

An extremely low level of literacy
An extremely low percentage of children in school
Absence of a written script connected to a literary language
Existence of "social vestiges" (oppression of women, racial hostility, nomadism, religious fanaticism)
An extremely low level of national cadres

List of nationalities identified as culturally backward

In 1932 the People's Commissariat for Education published an official list of "culturally backward" nationalities:^[1]

Oroch
Orochen (Orochon, a tribal division of Evenks)^[7]
Ossetians
Ostyak (Khanty)
Persians
Roma (Gypsies)
Rutuls
Samagir (Nanai)
Shapsugs
Shors
Soyot
Tabasarans
Tajiks
Taranchis
Tats
Tatars (outside of the Tatar ASSR)
Tavgi (Nganasans)
Teptyars (also classified as Bashkirs)^[8]
Teleuts
Tungus (Evenks)
Turkmen
Tuvans
Udege
Udmurts
Ulch
Uyghurs
Uzbeks
Vepsians
Voguls (Mansi)
Votes
Yakuts
Yukaghir

References

^ ^a ^b Martin (2001), p. 167.
^ Martin (2001), p. 56.
^ Martin (2001), p. 374.
^ Martin (2001), p. 166.
^ Wixman (1984), p. 20.
^ Wixman (1984), p. 89.
^ Wixman (1984), p. 149.
^ Wixman (1984), p. 190.

Works cited

Martin, Terry Dean (2001). The Affirmative Action Empire: Nations and Nationalism in the Soviet Union, 1923-1939. United States: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-8677-7.
Wixman, Ronald (1984). The Peoples of the USSR: An Ethnographic Handbook. United States: M. E. Sharpe. ISBN 978-0-87332-506-6.

[m167-1] Martin (2001), p. 167.

[FOOTNOTEMartin200156-2] Martin (2001), p. 56.

[FOOTNOTEMartin2001374-3] Martin (2001), p. 374.

[FOOTNOTEMartin2001166-4] Martin (2001), p. 166.

[FOOTNOTEWixman198420-5] Wixman (1984), p. 20.

[FOOTNOTEWixman198489-6] Wixman (1984), p. 89.

[FOOTNOTEWixman1984149-7] Wixman (1984), p. 149.

[FOOTNOTEWixman1984190-8] Wixman (1984), p. 190.

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Characteristics

List of nationalities identified as culturally backward

See also

References

Works cited