The Image Of The Intellectual In Uzbek Literature: Historical Evolution And Typology

Abstract

This article examines the formation, evolution, and typology of the intellectual figure in Uzbek literature from the early twentieth century to the present. The research material comprises works by Mahmudkhoja Behbudiy, Abdulla Qodiriy, Cho‘lpon, Abdulla Qahhor, Oybek, and authors of the independence period. Using historical-comparative, typological, and structural-semantic methods, the study identifies three stages: the enlightener-reformer (the Jadid period), the tragic intellectual in conflict with ideology (the Soviet period), and the intellectual engaged in spiritual and moral inquiry (the independence period). It is shown that the intellectual character serves as the core of artistic reflection on social development and that its principal conflict shifts from the opposition of ignorance and enlightenment to the clash between the individual and ideology, and finally to the individual’s self-understanding. The findings may be used in courses on the history of Uzbek literature and comparative literary studies.