The Issue of Attitude Towards Women’s Education in Hamza’s Novels

Abstract

The socio-political transformations that took place in Turkestan during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries left a profound and enduring mark on Uzbek literature. As Abdullah Avloniy famously stated, “Literature is the mirror of the nation,” and the loss of national independence under colonial rule, together with its tragic consequences, found vivid expression in the literary works of the period. During this time, members of the national intelligentsia, particularly the Jadids, began to recognize the underlying causes of the hardships faced by the people and sought ways to overcome them through unity and reform.

The Jadids regarded education and knowledge as the most effective means of restoring the nation’s identity and liberating the country from the constraints of an oppressive political system. Their objectives included the formation of an enlightened intellectual class, the establishment of new-method schools, the introduction of Western educational and cultural practices, the publication of modern textbooks, the promotion of overseas study opportunities for young people, and the awakening of public consciousness through journalism and theatre.

Among the leading representatives of this movement was Hamza Hakimzoda Niyoziy, who made a significant contribution through his activities in the press, theatre, and literature. His poems and songs were designed to raise public awareness and stimulate social consciousness. However, one of Hamza’s most important contributions to Uzbek literature was his attempt to introduce the novel genre, which was still relatively new to national literary practice.

Although his prose works may not fully correspond to contemporary standards of novelistic form and structure, they represented an important stage in the development of Uzbek narrative literature. In particular, the works Yangi Saodat (New Happiness) and Uchrashuv (The Meeting), which the author himself described as “national novels,” addressed some of the most pressing social issues of the time. These included the importance of education, social inequality, and the status and rights of women. As such, these works occupy a notable place in the history of Uzbek literature as some of the earliest attempts to explore contemporary social realities through extended prose fiction.

This article examines the reflection of the socio-cultural realities of the period in Hamza’s novels and analyzes the ways in which the author represented the major social concerns of his era through literary narrative.