Journal of Turkish World Studies

Abstract

Inequalities and injustices in education systems are among the most critical issues that significantly affect the structure of society. This article offers an analysis of Kıymet (1970), a poem by Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh (1925–2009), which highlights the injustices in education caused by nepotism and patronage practices within the Soviet-era Azerbaijani educational system. The significance of this topic lies in the structural decline of the Soviet education system and its lasting impact on individuals and society—effects that remain visible in contemporary social frameworks. The study aims to explore the poet’s social criticism concerning justice, meritocracy, and integrity in education, and to demonstrate how these critiques align with key sociological theories. Lucien Goldmann’s genetic structuralism has been adopted as the main theoretical framework. Supporting theories include Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of social capital, Max Weber’s views on authority and merit, John Rawls’s theory of justice, and Emile Durkheim’s understanding of social order and norms. Within this theoretical framework, the poem is analyzed in terms of how favoritism and nepotism lead to deep-seated inequalities in education and reinforce systemic distortions within the social structure. The findings suggest that such practices threaten not only individual rights but also the future of society as a whole. Ultimately, the poem emphasizes the critical role of justice in education for societal development and presents a universal social message rooted in personal disillusionment. The work offers a powerful sociological insight into the dynamic interaction between individual experiences and collective structures.In this article, the poem “Assessment” (1970) by Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh (1925-2009), who was both an educator and a poet, was examined in the framework of ethical responsibility, values, and social criticism formed at the intersection of the personality of a teacher and a poet. Although the poet emphasizes the importance of such concepts as fairness, honesty, and conscience in education, he especially criticizes the destructive impact of favoritism and nepotism on the education system.
The article also examines how the relationship between the individual and society is conveyed through metaphors and symbols in the poem. Here the poem "Assessment" is analyzed both structurally and thematically. This analysis focuses on how the internal structure of the poem, the language used, and the artistic elements form a coherent whole, and also examines the main ideas and social messages processed by the author through the thematic content of the poem.
As a result of the structural and thematic examination of the poem, it became clear that the work emphasizes for oppression in education threatens not only the personal rights of the individual, but also the future of society. Based on individual disappointments, the work turned into a social cry and became a universal message.