Obrazovanshchina

Obrazovanshchina (Russian: образованщина, "educationdom", "educaties",^[1] "smatterers") is a Russian ironical, derogatory term for a category of people with superficial education without higher ethics of an educated person.^[2] The term was introduced by Alexander Solzhenitsyn as a criticism of the transformation of the Russian intelligentsia, which, in his opinion had lost high ethical values, in his 1974 essay Obrazovanshchina (translated as The Smatterers).^[3] The essay and the term caused criticism from liberal intelligentsia, such as a long-time Solzhenitsyn's opponent Grigory Pomerants^[4] and Boris Shragin,^[5] and was among the reasons of the bitter contention between Solzhenitsyn and the Russian "third wave" of emigration (of dissidents).^[6]

In Poland, a country which shares the concept of "intelligentsia" with Russia, a similar term, wykształciuchy is used.^[7][8]

Solzhenitsyn defines obrazovanshchina as the category of people who self-refer to themselves as "intelligentsia" solely on the basis of having a higher than middle education. Solzhenitsyn explains the selection of the term by reference to Vladimir Dahl's dictionary, which distinguished the terms образовать (to educate) and просвещать (to enlighten), the former concept having a superficial character, "external gloss".^[3]

A similar criticism of Russian intelligentsia came from Nikolai Berdyaev, who coined the ironic word intelligentshchina for the part of intelligentia locked in their own world, isolated from the rest of the Russian society.^[9]

See also

• Egghead, a derogatory term criticizing other aspects of educated people

References