Title:
The Soviet legacy and the future of language politics in post-Soviet Kazakhstan
Authors:
Ramazanova, D.
Year:
2011
Serial number:
2
Journal:
Spanda Journal : Indigenous Culture & Development
Volume:
II
Pages:
18
-
30
ISSN:
2210-2175
Language:
eng
Subject:
Social and Political Change
Keywords:
civil society
,
culture
,
democratisation
,
economic development
Abstract:
After becoming its own nation-state in 1991 for the first time in history, Kazakhstan has been facing major challenges on its path to nation-building. Amidst economic difficulties caused by the shift from communist command economy to a free market system, the country had to unite its multiethnic society with no prior memory of nationhood into a coherent nation. As a result of the extensive Soviet language and identity politics, it was the only republic in the USSR to have the biggest share of its titular Kazakh population speaking Russian to the extent of not knowing their own- Kazakh language. Nonetheless, the country chose nationalism in a form of language revival as means of building a nation whilst developing its economy. The article traces the process of development and its relation to language revival and nationalism in Kazakhstan pointing out the shortcomings of language policy implementation and the future prospects for Kazakh language.
Note:
ISBN 978-88-7778-133-8
Organization:
Spanda Foundation
Country:
Kazakhstan
Region:
Central Asia
Category:
General
Right:
© 2011 Spanda Foundation
Document type:
E-article
File:
457298.pdf