Official Discourses of the Nation in Kazakhstan: The Role of the Mid-Level Bureaucracy in Disseminating Elite-Led Nation-Building Projects

• In Event: From Nuclear Legacies to Nation Building: Memory, Power, and Foreign Policy in Post-Soviet Kazakhstan and its Neighbors

Abstract

This study examines the production, dissemination, and impact of state-led nation-building discourses in Kazakhstan, focusing on key state initiatives such as Mangilik El (Eternal Nation) and Rukhani Zhangyru (Spiritual renewal). The central argument of the study revolves around the significant role played by mid-level bureaucrats in interpreting and implementing state-led nation-building programs. Notions like Mangilik El, as presented by Nazarbayev, often remain very vague, leaving considerable scope for multiple interpretations but also misunderstandings among those bureaucrats. Therefore, divergent interpretations of elite-produced notions such as Mangilik El among bureaucrats, lead to variations in program execution and potential incoherence within the discourse. Semi-structured interviews with mid-level officials, and participant observations of state-sponsored events in 2014 and 2017 were conducted to collect the data. This study contributes to the scholarly literature by providing empirical insights into the complexities of state-led nation-building processes and underscores the pivotal role of mid-level bureaucratic agencies in translating elite discourse into nation-building projects.

Author

• Diana Kopbayeva, Nazarbayev U (Kazakhstan)