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]

1933 stamp depicting Tungus (Evenks), one of the "culturally backward" peoples. One of the people pictured is reading a newspaper, hinting at the modernization of the Evenks under Soviet rule.

1933 stamp showing Chuvash people; again, modernization is hinted at, with a tractor being used and happy peasants apparently working on a collective farm.

Chechens on a 1933 stamp: they read newspapers and listen to a gramophone.

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

Karachays Karagasy (Tofalars) Kara-nogais Karakalpaks Karelians Kazakhs Kets Khakas Komi-Permyaks Komi-Zyrians Koryaks Koreans Krymchaks Kumandins Kumyks Kurds Kurd-ezid (Yazidis) Kyrgyz Laks Lamuts (Evens) Lezgins Lopars (Sami) Manegry (Evenks) Mari Moldovans Mongols Mordvins Nagaybak Negidals Nenets Nogais Oirats

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 (now classified as Bashkirs)[8] Teleuts Tungus (Evenks) Turkmen Tuvans Udege Udmurts Ulch Uyghurs Uzbeks Vepsians Voguls (Mansi) Votes Yakuts Yukaghir

See also

• Asian witchcraft – Various types of witchcraft practices across Asia
• Civilizing mission – Rationale or justification for colonialism
• Cultural imperialism – Cultural aspects of imperialism
• Eurocentrism – Worldview centred on or biased towards Western civilization
• Korenizatsiia – 1920s Soviet policy of promoting its indigenous ethnic groups
• Racism in the Soviet Union
• Russification – Measures to increase the influence of Russian culture and language
• Scientific racism – Pseudoscientific justification for racism
• Sovietization – Adoption of Soviet political system and mentality