The Role of Jadid Intellectuals in the Development of Uzbek Journalism: A Study of Mahmudkhodja Behbudi's Journalistic Activity

This article examines the role of Jadid intellectuals in the formation and development of Uzbek journalism through the journalistic activity of Mahmudkhodja Behbudi, one of the leading representatives of the Turkestan Jadid movement. The study focuses on Behbudi's editorial and publicistic work, particularly the newspaper Samarqand and the journal Oyina, and analyzes the ways in which these publications connected enlightenment, social reform, language, education, public ethics, and national awareness with the emerging practices of modern journalism. The research applies historical-comparative, textual, and discourse-analytical methods to selected journalistic writings and recent scholarship on Jadidism and Central Asian print culture. The findings indicate that Behbudi treated the press not merely as a channel for transmitting news but as an institution for educating readers, interpreting social problems, organizing public discussion, and forming civic responsibility. His editorial practice contributed to the expansion of journalistic themes and genres, the strengthening of a modern reading public, and the development of a socially engaged model of Uzbek journalism. The article argues that Behbudi's journalistic legacy should be understood as an important stage in the institutional, intellectual, and ethical formation of the Uzbek national press.