One World under Stalin’s Shadow: Post-Soviet Representations of Stalinist Repression in Kazakhstan

• In Event: The Vanishing Self: The Politics of Forgetting in Russophone and Balkan Literatures and Film

Abstract

This paper explores Kazakhstan's role in reconciling diverse memories of Stalinism and the Soviet Gulag, with a focus on the city of Karagandy, a significant hub for Stalinist prison camps. Through fieldwork conducted in 2024, the study examines a memorial site, the “forest of monuments,” where various national and ethnic communities co-mourn victims of Stalinist repression. The paper highlights the complexities of shared narratives of victimhood and the challenges of assigning “responsibility” for the repression.

Author

• Hayate Murayama, UC Santa Barbara