Religion and Spirituality in Public Schools of Post-Soviet Uzbekistan

Abstract

AbstractThe paper highlights the policy and strategies for teaching religion within public education in Uzbekistan. The chapter provides an in-depth analysis of the place of teaching religion and the broader debates and set of legislative initiatives surrounding how religious subjects are being introduced into schools. I argue that religious education in public schools in Uzbekistan introduces religious doctrine and morality as a secular-modernized concept, and as a marker of national-cultural character. Evidently, the introduction of religious education in Uzbekistan reveals the intricate dynamics and challenges associated with the role of Islam, external influences from moderate and radical religious circles, and the perceived potential for radicalization, which should be examined in terms of both subjective perseptions and measurable data.