Expressing National Ideology Through Archetypal Image “Wolf” in Kazakh Postmodern Literature: Take Balmolda’s Zhalkara as an Example

Akbulatov A.A. Zhumasheva K.B. Mutiyev Z.Zh. Suleimenova K.K. Mubarak N.Y. Utegenova G.Zh. Nassimullina A.B. Mussina Z.G. Kuzhentayeva R.M.
3 November 2025 Academy Publication

Theory and Practice in Language Studies
2025 #15 Issue 11 3532 - 3540 pp.

Modern Kazakh literature has played a crucial role in shaping and expressing the national ideology following Kazakhstan’s independence. Munaydar Balmolda is one of Kazakh postmodern prose writers with a high spirit of patriotism, who vividly reveals the theme of the irreconcilable struggle for the national idea, honor and courage, national spirit. The paper analyzes how Munaydar Balmolda creatively transforms advanced models of literature in accordance with his time using the particularly impressive archetypal image of the wolf cult to express the modern national ideology of independent Kazakhstan. This study is based on the qualitative analysis of folklore traditions and the mythological archetype of the wolf in Balmolda’s novel Zhalkara using a complex methodology combining narrative analysis, content analysis, artistic analysis, semiotic analysis and archetypal literary criticism. In the novel, the concept of the wolf functions as a cultural mental framework that can adapt and transform according to the author’s creative intentions. The wolf’s national symbolism is given a distinctive artistic expression, enriching the work with profound intellectual significance and enabling an artistic exploration of Kazakhstan’s national identity emphasizing such essential concepts as conscience, morality, liberty and the spirit of freedom. The examination of the evolution of 21st-century Kazakh prose, the current state of artistic text theory, and the challenges of meaningful philological analysis offers valuable insights for enhancing the theoretical education of aspiring literary scholars. The findings of this research can serve as supplementary material for elective courses such as the theory of artistic text, literary regional studies and contemporary Kazakh literary criticism.

archetypal image , archetype , modern Kazakh literature , postmodernism , wolf

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Department of Kazakh Philology, Faculty of Philology, M. Utemisov West Kazakhstan University, Kazakhstan
Almaty Humanitarian and Economic University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Kazakh National Women’s Teacher Training University, Kazakhstan
M. Auezov, South Kazakhstan University, Kazakhstan
Faculty of Philology, M. Utemisov West Kazakhstan University, Kazakhstan

Department of Kazakh Philology
Almaty Humanitarian and Economic University
Kazakh National Women’s Teacher Training University
M. Auezov
Faculty of Philology

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