| This dissertation investigated the education curricular decentralization-sociopolitical stability nexus in four republics in the Russian Federation. Since the Soviet Union's demise in 1991, Russia has been enveloped in massive systemic institutional changes. Concomitant with the metamorphoses taking place in the economic and political sectors of society is the overhaul of institutionalized education. A major reform currently being implemented is the decentralization of education from the former highly centralized system of the ancient Soviet Union.; A commonly held assumption is that education decentralization must be an intrinsic part of the democratizing process, and that more democratization is inherently good. However, this research suggests that this assumption is not always tenable in terms of building a cohesive and stable sociopolitical system in transitional societies, especially those that are highly pluralistic. Some republics are employing curricular decentralization to promote the republics and titular ethnic groups as the locus of political identity, as opposed to the Federation itself. This, in turn, is resulting in degrees of pluralism that are inimical to the center's goal of achieving national sociopolitical stability. The end result is a form of hyper-pluralism that is divisive, fragmental, and a source of conflict.; An institutional model for identifying the potential for cultural conflict in each of the four Russian republics was used in juxtaposition with propositions this researcher derived from that model, as well as from studies on the relationship between education and nation building. These propositions all relate to the effects of curricular decentralization on local, regional and/or regional-center sociopolitical stability and cohesion. This aggregate was analyzed to assess the implications of education decentralization in these multicultural, transitional societies. Data on curricular reforms in place or in progress were then viewed to determine whether or not they tend to confirm the researcher's propositions. Finally, recommendations were made for effecting greater national sociopolitical cohesion through the educational institutions and practices, particularly decisions pertaining to the curricula. The four republics that were the focus of this study include three European republics, Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, and Dagestan, and one Asian republic, Sakha. |
