Defense of the dissertation of Aikynbaikyzy Almash for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the specialty «6D050100 - Әлеуметтану»

L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, a dissertation defense for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) by Aikynbaikyzy Almash on the topic «Representation of a sedenterization and his consequences in social memory of modern Kazakhstan» by specialty «6D050100 – Әлеуметтану».

The dissertation was carried out at the «Sociology education department» of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University.

The language of defense is kazakh

Official reviewers:

Абдикакимов Мухтар Тыныштыкбекулы - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Head

Джамалиева Газиза Жумагалиевна - Candidate of Science

Temporary members of the Dissertation Committee:

Амитов Султанкожа Абдукадырович - Candidate of Science, Assistant Professor, docent

Садырова Мансия Сапаргалиевна - Doctor of Science, Professor, professor

Scientific advisors:

Smagambet Bayan Zhuzikbaykyzy – Candidate of Sociological Sciences, Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. Academic specialty: 22.00.04 – Social Structure, Social Processes and Institutions (Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan).

Heiko Schrader – PhD, Professor at Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg (Magdeburg, Germany).

The defense will take place on December 23, 2025, at 12:00 PM in the Dissertation Council for the training direction «8D031 – Social sciences» in the specialty «6D050100 – Әлеуметтану» of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. The defense meeting is planned to be held online.

Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8114174324?pwd=dVhvaFdrUm9hRll6eTBsclhybUtvZz09 Идентификатор конференции: 811 4174 324Код доступа: DC9hpA

Address: город Астана, улица К.Сатпаева, 2, учебно-административный корпус № 1 ЕНУ им. Л.Н. Гумилева, аудитория 302.

Abstract (English): ABSTRACT on the dissertation work Aikynbaikyzy Almash on the topic «Representation of a sedenterization and his consequences in social memory of modern Kazakhstan», submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the specialty of doctoral student in the specialty «6D050100 - Sociology» Relevance of the Research Topic. The forced sedentarization of Kazakhs in the 1920s-30s and its consequence constitutes the most significant "collective trauma" in the social memory of modern Kazakhstan. However, this memory remains "marginalized" and "uninstitutionalized" in official discourse. While official historiography presents it as "progress," in public consciousness, it is preserved through "fear and silence." This phenomenon is explained by the mechanisms of "cultural silence" (J. Assmann) and "forced forgetting" (P. Connerton). The relevance of the research increases in the context of post-Soviet "decolonization of memory" and the formation of national identity. The collective memory of sedentarization is "fragmented" and subject to "ethnolinguistic differentiation": in the Kazakh-speaking sphere, it is preserved as a "communicative," familial, traumatic narrative, whereas in the Russian-speaking sphere, this topic is often perceived through the prism of official "modernization" or is absent entirely. The "postmemory" generation (M. Hirsch) is inheriting this trauma through codes of silence. Aim of the Dissertation: To analyze the representation of the sedentarization of the 1930s and its consequences in the social memory of modern Kazakhstan. Objectives of the Dissertation: To conceptualize "social memory" and "cultural trauma"; to sociologically conceptualize sedentarization (Polanyi, Bourdieu); to analyze state memory policy (textbooks, media); to identify the ethnolinguistic and generational differentiation of memory; to analyze the transformation of the "shezhire" (genealogy) institute and "hybridity" (H. Bhabha) in public consciousness. Main and Additional Hypotheses of the Dissertation Research Main Hypothesis: The memory of sedentarization is a "cultural trauma," but its representation is not monolithic; it is "fragmented" and "ambivalent." The form and content of memory are dependent on the macro-level state "regime of truth" (M. Foucault), the meso-level "social framework" (M. Halbwachs) (especially the ethnolinguistic code), and the micro-level "postmemory" (M. Hirsch) mechanisms. Additional Hypotheses: 1. State memory policy (education, media) is "selective": it acknowledges the "national tragedy" but seeks to "neutralize" its full colonial nature by "veiling it with modernization discourse." 2. Official discourse (textbooks) describes the violence as a "normal" part of "modernization." 3. A clear "ethnolinguistic demarcation" exists in public consciousness (Kazakh-language "trauma" discourse vs. Russian-language "common tragedy"). 4. Sedentarization dismantled traditional clan identity and forcibly introduced new Soviet "administrative-class" identifiers. 5. The memory of other ethnic groups (e.g., deported peoples) regarding these events is shaped in relation to their own traumatic experiences (repressions). 6. The traditional shezhire (genealogy) institute, under pressure from the Soviet "strategy" (M. de Certeau), lost its institutional function and has transformed into a form of "cultural representation" and "symbolic capital" (P. Bourdieu) in contemporary Kazakhstan. 7. The traumatic experience is transmitted at the family level not as a coherent narrative but through "postmemory" (M. Hirsch) mechanisms, especially "silence" (e.g., "the walls are listening"). Theoretical and Methodological Basis of the Dissertation Research The research is interdisciplinary. Its basis consists of four conceptual blocks: 1. Memory Studies: M. Halbwachs's "social frameworks," J. Assmann's "communicative/cultural memory," J. Olick's "mnemonic practices." 2. Cultural Trauma and Postcolonial Theory: J. Alexander's "cultural trauma" theory, H. Bhabha's "hybridity" concept. 3. Sociological Conceptualization of Sedentarization (Section 2.3): The core theoretical novelty. K. Polanyi's "disembeddedness," S.G. Kirdina-Chandler's institutional $X$-matrix transformation, and P. Bourdieu's devaluation of traditional capital (especially shezhire). 4. Tools for Empirical Analysis: M. Foucault's "power/knowledge" and "regime of truth" concepts, M. de Certeau's "strategies" (of the powerful) and "tactics" (of the weak). Research Strategy and Methods The research is based on a "mixed-methods" design. • Quantitative Methods: (1) A sociological survey administered to two different populations (Appendix A: Kazakhs; Appendix Ә: Other Ethnicities) to identify ethnolinguistic differentiation; (2) Quantitative content analysis of school textbooks and official media ("Egemen Qazaqstan," "Kazakhstanskaya Pravda") (1993-2023). • Qualitative Methods: (1) Narrative interviews (Appendix Б) with the "postmemory" generation; (2) Qualitative discourse analysis to identify "figures of silence" in textbooks and media. Scientific Novelty of the Dissertation Research 1. Kazakh sedentarization and its consequences are, for the first time, conceptualized not just historically, but sociologically, through the paradigm of social memory and cultural trauma. 2. A new model for the sociological conceptualization of the sedentarization process (Polanyi, Kirdina-Chandler, Bourdieu) is proposed. 3. The ethnolinguistic differentiation of memory (Kazakh-language vs. Russian-language memory regimes) is empirically proven for the first time. 4. The transformation of the Shezhire institute from a traditional function (institutional knowledge) to a modern form of "symbolic capital" (cultural representation) is substantiated. 5. Gaps and paradoxes between official memory policy (textbooks, media) and family narratives (including "hybrid" consciousness and the persistence of the Soviet "regime of truth") are identified. 6. The research relies on a comprehensive mixed-methods design (macro/meso/micro levels) and a broad empirical base. Theoretical Value of the Research lies in adapting Western memory theories (Assmann, Alexander, Bourdieu) to the Kazakhstani, postcolonial context (sedentarization, shezhire). Practical Value of the Research lies in the ability to use the findings to shape state memory policy and educational content (improving textbooks), and as a ready-made methodological toolkit (surveys) for future research. Main Scientific Theses for Defense: 1. State memory policy is "ambivalent": it acknowledges the trauma but "veils" its colonial nature with "modernization discourse." 2. The traditional Shezhire institute has transformed from its socio-regulative function into a form of "symbolic capital" (P. Bourdieu) and "cultural representation." 3. A profound "ethnolinguistic demarcation" exists in public memory (Kazakh-language "trauma" discourse vs. Russian-language "common tragedy/modernization"). 4. Kazakhstani identity is characterized by "hybridity" (H. Bhabha): the acknowledgment of Soviet achievements coexists with the condemnation of its violence. 5. Traumatic experience is transmitted at the family level via "postmemory" (M. Hirsch) mechanisms, primarily through "silence." 6. The memory of Kazakhstani youth is shaped mainly by official, institutionalized "cultural memory" (textbooks), which often contradicts familial "communicative" memory. 7. The sedentarization process itself is sociologically confirmed as a "disembeddedness" (K. Polanyi) and the forced destruction of the institutional $X$-matrix (S.G. Kirdina-Chandler). Approbation and Implementation of Research Results. Articles indexed in Scopus: • Social memory: From oblivion or construction to cultural trauma. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities. 2021. 13(2), с. 1-13 (Smagambet, Bayan Zh., Musabayeva, Ainur B.); Articles in publications recommended by the CCSES MES RK: • Тарихи-әлеуметтанулық зерттеуде «мәдени жарақат» теориясын қолдану мүмкіндігі. Л.Н.Гумилев атындағы ЕҰУ хабаршысы. Педагогика. Психология. Әлеуметтану сериясы. №1(122)/2018. 289-296 беттер (қос авторлық: Б.Ж.Смағамбет) • Қазақ седентеризациясы және оның салдары. Әлеуметтанулық концептуалдау перспективасы. С.Торайғыров атындағы ПМУ Хабаршысы. Гуманитарлық сериясы. №2 (2019). 142-154 беттер (қос авторлық: Б.Ж.Смағамбет) • Ғылымдағы әлеуметтік жад мәселесі. Абай атындағы КазҰПУ «Хабаршысы», «Әлеуметтік және саяси ғылымдар» сериясы. №2(66), 2019, 69-76 беттер (қос авторлық: Б.Ж.Смағамбет). Articles published in international conference proceedings: • Қазақ седентеризациясы және оның салдары әлеуметтанулық мәселе. Материалы международной научной конференции студентов и молодых учёных «Фараби әлемі», Алматы, Казахстан, 09-12 апреля 2018г. Том 2. – Алматы: Қазақ университеті, 2018. – 518 с. • Генетико-структуралистский анализ трансформации казахской семьи. Сборник научных докладов V Международная научно-практическая конференции «Семья как фактор физического и социального здоровья населения» (V Гилязитдиновские чтения), г.Уфа, 17-18 мая 2018. – 383-388 с. • Седентеризация және оның салдарына әлеуметтанулық талдау жасау мүмкіндіктері. «ǴYLYM JÁNE BILIM – 2020» cтуденттер мен жас ғалымдардың XV Халықаралық ғылыми конференциясы– НұрСұлтан • Ресми бұқаралық ақпарат құралындағы қазақстандық жад саясаты. «ǴYLYM JÁNE BILIM – 2022» cтуденттер мен жас ғалымдардың XVII Халықаралық ғылыми конференциясы – НұрСұлтан (қос авторлық: Ә.Кекілбекова) • Қазақстан тарихы оқулықтарындағы жад саясаты. «ǴYLYM JÁNE BILIM – 2022» cтуденттер мен жас ғалымдардың XVII Халықаралық ғылыми конференциясы– НұрСұлтан (қос авторлық: Ж.Алдабек) • «Жад зерттеулері» курсы, ұсынылған KIPD Аcademy Қазақстандық қоғамдық даму институты. https://kipd.kz/video-category/kipd-academy Structure and Volume of the Research Work. The dissertation's structure consists of an introduction, 3 chapters, a conclusion.

Dissertation

List of Scientific Works

Consultant's Review

Foreign Consultant's Review

Conclusion of the Research Ethics Committee

Official Reviewer's Review

Official Reviewer's Review