International Journal Of Literature And Languages
7
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijll
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue05 2025
PAGE NO.
7-9
10.37547/ijll/Volume05Issue05-02
The Jadid Theater and Ethnic Traditions
Botir Sangirov
Associate Professor at the National Institute named after Kamoliddin Behzod of Painting and Design, Doctor of Philosophy in Art
Studies, Uzbekistan
Received:
08 March 2025;
Accepted:
04 April 2025;
Published:
07 May 2025
Abstract:
This article explores the development of the Jadid theater as a significant cultural phenomenon in the
early 20th century, particularly in Central Asia. The study analyzes how Jadid reformers utilized theater as a
medium for enlightenment and modernization while incorporating local ethnic traditions and folklore to ensure
cultural continuity. The research examines theatrical performances, scripts, and staging practices to highlight how
Jadid theater served both pedagogical and national purposes. It also addresses the tension between traditional
performance elements and modern dramaturgical innovations introduced by Jadid intellectuals. The findings
underscore the role of the Jadid theater in shaping national identity, fostering social reform, and preserving ethnic
cultural values through performative expression.
Keywords:
Jadid theater, ethnic traditions, cultural reform, Central Asia, national identity, theatrical
modernization, folklore, enlightenment movement.
Introduction:
The core of Uzbek national theater art,
the performance tradition, has been shaped by the
interpretation of ethnic customs, various rituals,
traditions, and religious beliefs
—
a fact confirmed by
numerous
scholarly
studies.
Academician
M.
Rakhmonov, Doctor of Art Studies and Professor M.
Qodirov, T. Tursunov, and several other theater
researchers have analyzed the stages of development
and principles of Uzbek theater art in their scientific
works and books on the history of Uzbek theater.
However, the concept of “national theater art” began
to be used only in the literature produced during the
period of independence. At this point, identifying and
evaluating the history of the national theater, its
distinctive features, and its criteria is of great
importance.
The creation and development of modern Uzbek
professional theater at the beginning of the last century
are directly linked to the Jadid movement, which aimed
to enlighten the people and raise cultural awareness.
The socio-political situation that emerged in Uzbekistan
at the beginning of the last century called for the
dissemination of Jadid ideas, and they effectively used
education, publications, and theater to achieve this.
Regarding Russian-native schools, Mahmudkhoja
Behbudi stated, “Those who study in
Russian-native
schools cannot be considered intellectuals, nor even
thinkers. They are merely semi-literate people in
Russian,” highlighting the detrimental impact of such
schools on the nation’s future. As a result, Jadid schools
began to open rapidly, with the goal of ensuring that
“soon, laws and most affairs will take on a different
color, and we must defend our religion, nation, and
state in the National Assembly.”
The Jadids began to use theatrical art to promote their
ideas, elevate national culture, and spread knowledge.
The creative tours of Russian, Tatar, and Azerbaijani
theater troupes in Central Asia and the public’s interest
in the performances served as an important means of
reinforcing and amplifying the propaganda of literature
created for the dissemination of their ideology. As a
result, Mahmudkhoja Behbudi’s drama Padarkush
(Patricide), published in 1913, “marked the true birth of
Uzbek national theater.”
In the play Padarkush, or the Fate of an Uneducated
Child, the author not only promotes the ideas of
enlightening the people and spreading knowledge but
also warns about the negative effects of the infiltration
of European lifestyles and culture, which were leading
to harmful trends in youth upbringing. Indeed, in the
drama, the tragedy unfolds due to taverns, alcohol, and
immoral behavior. Behbudi explicitly expresses his goal
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
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International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
at the end of the work through the words of an
intellectual: “It is lack of upbringing and ignorance that
have made us homeless, rootless, stateless, enslaved,
poor, and humiliated
—
statelessness, wandering,
captivity, poverty, and degradation are all the fruits and
consequences of ignorance and lack of upbringing.”
The Jadids saw it as appropriate to develop both
education and upbringing simultaneously to foster
societal development and progress. In the drama, the
author focuses attention on the causes of lack of
education and upbringing, proposing the necessity of
awakening certain segments of the public who thought
that mere wealth and possessions were sufficient for
happiness, ignoring the fate of the nation.
In Nusratulla ibn Qudratullohoja’s play Toy (Wedding),
the author reflects on the introduction of wedding
customs that had been accepted as tradition among the
people at the beginning of the last century. The play
depicts the events surrounding a circumcision
ceremony organized for a rich man’s sons. In the first
act, called The Council Feast, the imam, elders, and
respected men of the neighborhood gather to discuss
the wedding plans. The elder addresses the wealthy
man, advising him to hold a modest celebration,
something “small, humble, or befitting a well
-known
wealthy man,” and mentions that he himself, whenever
there was a wedding or mourning in any part of the city,
would go and bring “ten pounds of sugar
or a piece of
cloth.” After hearing from the elder (the headman) that
holding a grand wedding would make his wealth known
and his name spread, the rich man accepts this advice.
As the plot develops, the rich man agrees to bestow
golden robes upon judges, muftis, scholars, and
teachers to secure their favor and enhance his
reputation among the public. The judge, commenting
on the wedding, claims that “a wedding is God’s
treasure, and no matter how much is taken from God’s
treasure, it will never run out,” th
us trying to satisfy his
own desires.
The play also discusses the organization of a kopkari
(goat-pulling) competition at the wedding. According to
custom, kopkari is one of the national games usually
held during winter or early spring, and the value of the
prizes determined the social standing of the wedding
host. Nowadays, the custom of organizing kopkari at
weddings has diminished. Although the play mentions
the possible damages and dangers of kopkari, and how
the wedding could turn into mourning, this is viewed as
a typical, acceptable occurrence.
The work explains that the adaptation of customs and
rituals to serve the interests of certain social groups
and the use of various traditions to gain false prestige
leads to extravagance, which is interpreted as one of
the main causes of social problems.
In Abdulla Qodiriy’s tragedy The Unfortunate Groom,
the wasteful and excessive traditions of the early 20th
century are also criticized. In the play, as the discussion
revolves around the amount of olugh-solugh
(traditional wedding expenses) to be provided by the
groom’s side, the strict demand that it is shameful not
to follow the “customs of the land” is assessed as one
of the causes of material hardship and the emergence
of social issues. The play describes how the wedding
ceremonies and their rules, which diverge from Sharia
principles, actually arose due to unnecessary expenses
serving the false prestige of the wealthier class.
The story centers on Salih, an orphan raised by his uncle
Abdurahim after losing his parents at a young age, and
his tragic life. The events begin with efforts by his uncle
to persuade Salih to marry Faiziboy’s daughter. Salih,
who earns his living honestly, initially refuses, saying it
is too difficult to marry in a time when excessive
customs dominate. However, under the pressure of his
uncle
—
who has acted as a father to him
—
he agrees
to the wedding. When they ask at the wedding council
to reduce the olugh-
solugh due to the groom’s limited
means, Faiziboy refuses, citing local customs,
aspirations, and the fear of becoming the subject of
public ridicule. As a result, Salih, urged by his uncle,
mortgages his house to cover the heavy costs, but
when he cannot repay his debt on time, he is consumed
by shame and takes his own life.
In the works mentioned above, the invention of various
customs by people aiming to profit from traditions like
weddings is described as a societal vice. In the play, the
elder (ellikboshi) introduces different ceremonies
classified as “ancient customs,” expla
ining their origins
and saying, “I tell the fathers, let them not think that
abandoning our ancient customs will make us a
laughingstock to the people,” sharply criticizing the
wasteful
traditions
associated
with
wedding
ceremonies.
Abdurahim, who has been calculating the wedding
expenses, persuades Salih to go through with the
wedding by saying, “The debt will be repaid, but the
wife will remain by your side.” This phrase was likely
coined by people struggling with the burdensome
customs of weddings, and even today, it is still
humorously used among the people.
In Jadid dramaturgy, customs and various rituals are
portrayed as part of the people’s social life, but their
significance lies not in elevating the spiritual life of the
people; rather, the various traditions arising under the
pretext of these customs are evaluated as obstacles to
social progress. Drawing on the didactic function of
theater, the presentation of social problems on stage
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
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International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
marked a distinct stage in the development of the
national professional theater.
In the first quarter of the last century, the Jadids
increasingly promoted the idea of “making Turkestan
literate, enlightened, prosperous, and, above all,
independent” through theatrical art. Fully aware of
how difficult it was to instill this idea in people who
were unaware of their identity and did not understand
their national values, the Jadids paid special attention
to interpreting national values on stage by turning to
historical themes. A vivid example of this is Abdurauf
Fitrat’s pl
ay The Tomb of Timur (1919).
In the play, the characters appeal to the spirit of
Sahibqiron (Timur), asking to restore the pride, honor,
and freedom characteristic of Turkic peoples. The
appearance of the spirit of Amir Timur
—
a figure
revered among the people alongside Alexander the
Great (Iskandar Zulqarnayn) and the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him)
—
on stage increased
the emotional power of the work. In the stage
decorations for the play, Amir Timur’s spirit was
depicted “appearing in and behind da
rk clouds,
surrounded by light.” Although the performance had
some flaws, it was able to deeply move the audience.
According to Zaki Validi’s testimony, “When The Tomb
of Timur was staged, tears flowed like rain from the
eyes of the spectators. The play had such a powerful
emotional effect that its stage life did not last long.”
Abdurauf Fitrat’s 1924 drama The Devil’s Rebellion
Against God is based on the well-known religious
legend of the devil’s expulsion from paradise. The
playwright uses a story familiar and impactful for the
people as a foundation to convey his own ideas to the
public, drawing on elements of traditional folk theater.
“In the play, the ideas of the struggle for truth,
freedom, and enlightenment are advanced within the
framework of religious concepts and attitudes, using
parody and mockery of religious dogma.”
Such propaganda against the system, expressed on
stage, led to the harsh repression of works that
addressed national traditions and history in dramatic
form. As a result, by the 1920s, national traditions
began to be interpreted through the genre of
contemporary comedy. The closeness of laughter and
humor to the people allowed social problems to be
reflected even more deeply in stage works. Examples of
success in this regard include
H.H. Niyoziy’s comedies
The Punishment of the Slanderers and The Old Judges,
or The Case of Maisara.
In The Old Judges, or The Case of Maisara, biting satire
with roots in folklore is effectively used to expose the
moral failings, corruption, and debauchery of officials.
The popular humor infused into the characters ensures
the work’s connection to the people. The characters of
Maisara and Mulladust closely resemble the folk hero
Nasriddin Afandi. We encounter a similar type of
character in M. Uyghur’s play
The Doctor of Turkestan
(1920), embodied in the figure of Eshimqul the
Trickster. This clever, agile, resourceful hero, who
quietly pursues his own plans, is marked by simplicity
in speech, playful humor in actions, and the
incorporation of folkloric elements into the plot.
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