MODERNISM IN TURKIC PRESS AND LITERATURE: ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE JOURNALS “MUSHTUM” AND “MOLLA NASRIDDIN”

Abstract

This article analyzes the role and significance of satirical publications in the formation and development of modernist ideas in the literary and press heritage of Turkic peoples. In particular, the influence of Western literature and critical thinking on the consciousness of Turkic societies is examined through the journals “Mushtum” (Uzbekistan) and “Molla Nasriddin” (Azerbaijan), which were active in the early twentieth century. Through these publications, themes characteristic of modern literature—such as social criticism, reformist ideas, freedom and justice, modernity, and science—were introduced to a wide audience. The article also demonstrates, from a scholarly perspective, how these publications served as a means of illuminating the socio-cultural foundations of the renewal process in Turkic literature influenced by the West. In addition, the interrelation between Turkic press and literature is revealed, and the role of modernism and intellectual awakening in historical development is analyzed.