Ethno-confessional traditions of the Tatars of the Saratov region in the context of the Soviet socio-cultural and economic system

This article focuses on the history of the Tatars of the Saratov territory (i.e. the Saratov and Penza regions). An extensive study of archival materials, an analysis of interview data and historical records of Tatar villages and urban Muslim communities allowed the author to investigate the processes of preservation, consolidation and transformation of ethno-confessional traditions of Mishar Tatars, which took place under the influence of the Soviet social, cultural and economic system. The article defines the important role of spiritual and moral values, the functioning of confessional institutions and national educational institutions in the preservation of the Tatars’ the national and religious identity. It also examines the contribution of Jadidist school graduates to the development of the national Soviet educational system and culture. The researcher draws attention to the opposition between adherents of traditional Muslim and secular worldviews. The article evaluates, on a step by step basis, the processes of levelling out the impact that the people’s national and religious traditions, household practices and pervasive influence of the Soviet system had on shaping of a new image of the Tatars. In addition, the article examines how the famine, dekulakization, closure and demolition of mosques and collectivization campaign affected the qualitative foundation of the traditional Tatar society. The author concludes that during 1920–1930s the Tatar society underwent through the process of replacement of their civilizational values and their spiritual matrix. The paper also studies the folk traditions and folklore, which persisted for decades alongside the acculturalization process of the Tatars during the Soviet 1920–1980s.