ENU hosts international conference on the role of culture in shaping national identity

The L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University is hosting the international academic and practical conference “Dialogue of Traditions and Modernity: Spiritual Culture as the Foundation of National Identity.” Scholars, faculty members, doctoral students and master’s students from Kazakhstan and other countries are discussing the role of traditional culture and folk art in shaping contemporary national identity.

The conference is being held as part of the scientific programme of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, “Research into the Social Role of Folk Art in Shaping Contemporary National Identity: Modification and Reconstruction of Spiritual Culture.”

ENU has become one of the key platforms for the academic dialogue, bringing together researchers to examine the relationship between traditions and modernity, the preservation and transmission of spiritual and cultural heritage, as well as the transformation of traditional forms of folk art amid social change.

Particular attention is being paid to cultural continuity — the ways in which traditions are preserved, developed and acquire new forms in contemporary society.

The relevance of these issues is growing amid globalization, urbanization and large-scale cultural transformations. Today’s social environment requires not only the careful preservation of cultural heritage but also the search for effective ways to pass it on to future generations.

The conference programme covers four main areas: traditional ethnography and universal spiritual values; national identity amid social transformation; the impact of urbanization and global processes on national identity; and the continuity of traditions and contemporary trends in the development of folk art.

The conference programme includes plenary and thematic sessions. A separate roundtable, “Kazakhstani Identity as a Foundation for Intercultural Dialogue: Theory and Practice of Sociocultural Approaches,” will be held at the Nomadius Ethnographic Museum in the Burabay resort area.

Participants of the roundtable will discuss the formation of Kazakhstani identity, the development of intercultural dialogue and the preservation of cultural diversity. The conference programme also includes opportunities for participants to explore Kazakhstan’s historical, cultural and spiritual heritage.

The international conference brings together representatives of leading universities in Kazakhstan, as well as Poland, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Brazil, China and other countries. This format provides an opportunity to compare different historical and cultural traditions, expand academic exchange and strengthen international academic cooperation.

One of the highlights of the conference will be the presentation of a new textbook, “Ceremonial Culture of the Kazakh People.” The author is Zhambyl Artykbayev, Doctor of Historical Sciences and Professor at L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University.