Jadidism

Jadidism was a reform movement among Muslims in the Russian Empire, emerging in the late 19th century and lasting into the early 20th century. The term derives from the Arabic jaddid, meaning renewal. Jadids sought to renew Islamic life by embracing modern knowledge and methods while preserving religious faith. The movement spread among communities in the Volga-Ural region, Crimea, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, where teachers, scholars, and journalists argued that modernization was necessary to defend Muslim societies within a changing empire.

Core aims of Jadidism included modernizing education, creating better schooling through the usul-i jadid (the “new method”), and introducing scientific subjects, geography, mathematics, and languages into curricula. They advocated literacy for both men and women, the use of vernacular languages in instruction, and the production of modern textbooks and periodicals. In addition to pedagogy, Jadids encouraged rethinking aspects of Islamic law and practice (ijtihad) to address contemporary social and economic conditions, always within an Islamic framework. Publishing played a central role; periodicals and newspapers helped spread reformist ideas, with Ismail Gasprinsky’s Terciman (The Messenger) being one of the most influential outlets.

Jadism faced opposition from traditional religious scholars (ulema) who defended established rituals and schooling. The movement was influenced by Ottoman reform currents such as the Tanzimat and, in some contexts, by pan-Islamic or pan-Turkic ideas. Following the 1917 revolutions and the upheavals that followed, Jadid groups fragmented, with some contributing to early Soviet educational initiatives and others aligning with rival movements. Today, Jadidism is seen as a foundational moment in the modernization of Muslim education and public life in several regions of the former Russian Empire.