Cultural backwardness

Cultural backwardness (Russian: культурная отсталость) 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 of "cultural backwardness"

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 "culturally backward" nationalities

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

Abkhaz
Adyghe
Adjarians
Aleut
Assyrian
Azerbaijanis
Avars
Baksan (a tribe of Balkars)^[5]
Balkars
Bashkirs
Besermyan
Bulgarians
Buryats
Chechen
Cherkes (Adyghe)
Chinese
Chud
Chukchi
Chuvans
Chuvash
Dargins
Dolgans
Dungans
Eskimo
Giliaks (Nivkhs)
Golds (Nanai)
Greeks
Ingush
Izhorians
Kabardin
Kaitaks (now classified as Dargins)^[6]
Kalmyks
Kamchadals

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

Notes

1 2 Martin, 167
↑ Martin, 56
↑ Martin, 374
↑ Martin, 166
↑ Wixman, p. 20.
↑ Wixman, p. 89.
↑ Wixman, p. 149.
↑ Wixman, p. 190.

References

Terry Dean Martin (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.

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Cultural backwardness

Characteristics of "cultural backwardness"

List of "culturally backward" nationalities

See also

Notes

References