The horse as a symbol of cultural identity and resistance in Kazakhstan’s colonial history

Tokshylykova G. Abdul Rakhmanuly A. Assylbekuly S. Kalibekuly T. Askarova G.
2024 EnPress Publisher, LLC

Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development
2024 #8 Issue 12

This article examines the history of Russian colonization in Kazakhstan, focusing on identity, resistance, and independence within Russia’s neo-imperial ambitions. It addresses the socio-political barriers in postcolonial Kazakhstan due to ties with Russia and explores how the Soviet migration policies shaped Kazakhstan’s demographic and political landscape. The study outlines the phases of Russian colonization, contrasting Russian narratives of a civilizing mission with Kazakh perspectives on exploitation and cultural erasure. Using postcolonial theory, it deconstructs these narratives and reveals power dynamics. Kazakh literature and poetry are analyzed as mediums of resistance, emphasizing the horse as a symbol of cultural identity. The article concludes by discussing the post-Soviet cultural transformations and the role of literature in nation-building, highlighting the importance of reclaiming cultural symbols and myths for understanding Kazakhstan’s colonial history and postcolonial transformation.

cultural identity , Kazakhstan , neo-imperialism , postcolonialism , Russian colonization

Text of the article Перейти на текст статьи

Institute of Philology, Abay Kazakh National Pedagogical University, Almaty, 050010, Kazakhstan
Faculty of Pedagogy and Humanities, SDU University, Kaskelen, 040900, Kazakhstan
Department of Theory of Foreign Philology, Kazakh Ablai khan University of International Relations and World languages, Almaty, 050022, Kazakhstan

Institute of Philology
Faculty of Pedagogy and Humanities
Department of Theory of Foreign Philology

10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель

Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026