Anti-religious and international education in Tatar schools in the early 1930s: struggle for new consciousness in traditional society
Ilnur I. Shaidullin, Postgraduate Student, Senior Lecturer
Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, Kazan, Russia, Shaidullin_ilnur1997@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4187-1086
Abstract
The study analyzes anti-religious and international education in Tatar schools in the early 1930s as a key element of Soviet educational policy aimed at the formation of socialist consciousness. In the conditions of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, where Islam played a significant role, the implementation of these tasks faced serious difficulties: despite the liquidation of religious educational institutions and the introduction of atheistic programs, religious traditions retained their influence on schoolchildren and their families. Anti-religious education, which included the revision of curricula and the creation of clubs, was hampered by a lack of qualified teachers and the resistance of the population. In turn, the work on international education was complicated by persistent cultural barriers and prejudices among various ethnic groups. The study shows that, despite efforts, it wasn’t possible to completely eradicate religious and national prejudices, which highlights the difficulty of transforming consciousness in a traditional society. The experience of the 1930s remains relevant for understanding the problems of modernization and cultural contradictions, demonstrating the importance of a systematic approach combining ideological objectives with regional specifics.
Keywords
Anti-religious education, international education, the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, militant atheism, religious traditions, national prejudices, ideological work, interethnic harmony.
For citation:
Shaidullin I. I. Anti-religious and international education in Tatar schools in the early 1930s: struggle for new consciousness in traditional society. Vestnik of Orenburg State Pedagogical University. Electronic Scientific Journal, 2025, no. 2 (54), pp. 233—248. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32516/2303-9922.2025.54.11.
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