Palgrave Series in Asia and Pacific Studies After January: Kazakhstan's Journey Through Identity Geopolitics

This book explores how Kazakhstan has navigated its identity and geopolitical relationships since the January 2022 protests and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. This book examines Kazakhstan's evolving identity and geopolitical positioning following the January 2022 protests and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Tracing Kazakhstan’s complex ties with Russia from Tsarist colonization to Soviet legacies, we analyze how national memory, economic governance, and foreign policy are shaped by postcolonial dynamics. The “social contract” under Nazarbayev and Tokayev emphasized stability over reform, but recent crises have forced recalibration. Using postcolonial theory, we explore Kazakhstan’s diplomatic balancing act between Russia, the West, and emerging Turkic alliances. From the trauma of the Asharshylyk famine to reforms after Qandy Qantar, this book offers a comprehensive account of Kazakhstan’s redefined identity, growing regional assertiveness, and the long shadow of empire in its domestic and foreign policy choices. Nygmet Ibadildin is Assistant Professor of Political Science at KIMEP University. He earned his PhD from the University of Tampere and previously worked in journalism, including as editor-in-chief of Energy of Kazakhstan. His research focuses on post-Soviet institutional development, resource politics, and authoritarian resilience.Dinara Pisareva is Assistant Professor at Nazarbayev University. She holds a PhD from the Australian National University. Her research investigates citizen-state relations in authoritarian regimes, especially during crises. She is currently studying public responses to the January 2022 events and state-led narratives in Kazakhstan.Nurmakhan Tastaibek holds an MA from Nazarbayev University. His research examines authoritarian governance, public opinion, and identity in Central Asia. He co-authored a chapter on state framing of the January 2022 unrest and is conducting research on LGBTQI+ attitudes in Kazakhstan. This book explores how Kazakhstan has navigated its identity and geopolitical relationships since the January 2022 protests and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. What began as a study of Soviet legacy in Kazakhstan shifted focus when major events in 2022 altered the country's internal politics and regional standing.We trace Kazakhstan's complex history with Russia from the incorporation of Kazakh nomadic territories into the Russian Empire through the Soviet era to today's complex relationship. The Soviet policies of collectivization and sedentarization dramatically transformed traditional Kazakh society, with devastating consequences like the Asharshylyk famine that continue to shape national memory and identity.The book examines Kazakhstan's development under Presidents Nazarbayev and Tokayev, looking at how their "social contract" prioritized economic growth and stability over political freedoms. We provide a detailed look at the January 2022 protests, their aftermath, and Tokayev's subsequent reform agenda aimed at political modernization.In the shadow of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, we show how Kazakhstan walks a diplomatic tightrope—maintaining necessary ties with Russia while avoiding Western sanctions and developing new partnerships, especially with Turkic states. Using postcolonial theory, we analyze how historical power dynamics continue to influence Kazakhstan's search for identity and place in the world.Through five chapters, we offer readers a window into Kazakhstan's evolving sense of self, its changing relationships with global powers, and the potential for Pan-Turkism to provide a complementary alliance to Russian-dominated regional frameworks.