Rozaliya Garipova,
Institute for Advanced Study,
Einstein Drive, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 USA,
rozaliya77@yahoo.com.
The historiography of the education of Muslim women in the Volga-Urals presents Jadid schools for girls as both a rupture from traditional female education and a triumph for women’s liberation from the patriarchal backwardness which accounted for women’s inferior and miserable position in society. The article suggests two important points. First, notwithstanding the Jadid claims about the backwardness and superstitious nature of the traditional female education, it fulfilled important functions within the community and could reach high levels of traditional scholarly knowledge. Muslim women were educated according to the criteria of traditional education and many of them were part of the high scholarly culture of the ulama. Second, the new Jadid education was built upon traditional female education, and many women masters (abïstays) supported and made possible the transformation of education methods for girls.
Key words: abïstay, religious authority, women’s education, Jadidism.