Kazakh Capitals and the Construction of Kazakh Identity in the post-Soviet Period

Kazakh Capitals and the Construction of Kazakh National Identity in the post-Soviet Period (1991-2011) Nariman Shelekpayev This thesis explores the urban landscapes of the two major cities in post-Soviet Kazakhstan: Astana and Almaty. Analysis of their urban architecture, organization of public spaces and toponymy provides information about the identity and the identification of the country in the twenty-first century. The main sources for this research are the texts produced by geographers, graphic representations (mainly photographs and postcards) and several textbooks on the "History of Kazakhstan". The primary research questions include how historical and political change (mainly the transition from Soviet to national in 1990s) influenced the urban landscape, the role of the urban landscape in construction of national (self-) identification, and what symbolizes "Kazakhness". From the temporal point of view, the study attempts a diachronic comparison of Soviet and post-Soviet Kazakhstan. From the spatial point of view, the analysis of the urban landscape in two cities located in different parts of the country with different history and geography helps to see different, heterogeneous territories which are part of one country. Astana is the capital of Kazakhstan, a city with the sharpest contrasts between..