Modernisation of the historical memory and national identity in the Republic of Kazakhstan: a means of the formation and translation

Abstract

In this paper, the problems of the construction of civic identity in the Republic of Kazakhstan are addressed. As the area for the research, Akmola Oblast was chosen. The purpose of the study is to identify the key means of the formation and translation of the historical memory and to determine the role of their influence on the change of the national identity of the population of Northern Kazakhstan in the 1990s–2020s. The sources for the research include state strategies and programs, statutory legal documents, and materials of ethnographic expeditions. The methodological basis of the study was formed by the theoretical developments of P. Nora, estimates of the theory of ethnicity and identity by V.A. Tishkov, and the research insights of L.P. Repina. The authors identify the main means of the formation of historical knowledge: state strategies and programs; names of the localities and streets; textbooks on the history of Kazakhstan; national and state holidays; and monuments to national heroes/events. The result of the study is the periodisation of the modernization of the historical knowledge in Kazakhstan. In the first period (1991–2001), the creation of a historical narrative was taking place. Renaming the administrative units was the most efficient means of the formation of the historical knowledge. During this period, new holidays symbolising the sovereignty of Kazakhstan emerged. In the second period (2001–2012), there was observed the consolidation of the foundations of the national policy of independent Kazakhstan. The state holidays are approved at the legislative level; the textbooks on the history of Kazakhstan are continuously developed, the state programs are aimed at studying the historical and cultural heritage. New memorial complexes appear in the republic, the process of the street renaming continues. The third period (2012 — present time) is associated with the dramatic modernisation of the historical consciousness of the Kazakhstanis. The state programs “Strategy-2050” and “Rukhani Zhangyru” form the basis for the modernisation. The renaming of the streets and localities continues, which is aimed at “reviving the indigenous Kazakh names”. History textbooks hold a prominent place in the modernisation of the historical memory of the younger generation. With the help of the public holidays, the foundations for national identity and patriotism are being laid.

Keywords

• historical memory
• places of memory
• national politics
• northern kazakhstan
• akmola region
• post-soviet period