TROITSK MEN'S GYMNASIUM: EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES AND SOCIO-CULTURAL ADAPTATION (1873-1917)

Abstract

The origins of the initial admission of Kazakh youth to gymnasiums of the Russian Empire are associated with the activities of the Orenburg Civil Gymnasium and the Troitsk Men’s Gymnasium. The article analyzes the model of secondary education in the Russian Empire using the example of the Troitsk Men’s Gymnasium in the period 1873-1917. The study is based on materials from the Central State Archive of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as circulars compiled based on directives and reports of the Orenburg Educational District. Also, a portion of the archival documents are introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time. The analysis of archival documents made it possible to define the structure of the educational process at the Troitsk Gymnasium, identify mechanisms of students’ adaptation within a complex social environment, and specify the names of Kazakh students who studied at this Gymnasium. In addition, the study examines the difficulties accompanying the opening and development of the gymnasium, its material infrastructure, and overall condition. Since the research is based on the theory of social history, particular attention is devoted to the everyday practices of the Gymnasium’s functioning.

Research methodology of the study is based on the principles of the socio-cultural approach and the conceptual provisions of the “history of the lower social strata” within the framework of social history. The rules for awarding scholarships at the gymnasium, applications for their receipt, as well as the social factors and advantages that determine the conditions of their allocation, are analyzed. Data on the families of I. Altynsarin and Zh. Seydalin that studied at this gymnasium, are presented. The process of Kazakh students’ adaptation to the social environment is revealed, along with the difficulties encountered in overcoming religious and cultural differences, and everyday living conditions. The authors conclude that the main contingent of Kazakh students at the Troitsk Gymnasium consisted of children of sultans, volost administrators, starshins, and teachers.