CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2021
| Author | Bashimova, Jemile |
|---|---|
| Title | Rediscovering National Identity through the Soft Power of Latinization: Comparative analysis of contemporary Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan |
| Summary | The thesis analyzes the contemporary political discourse of linguistic transition and its social impact on Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan's young generation. Both Central Asian countries share similarities in moving the state languages' (titular languages) alphabets, Kazakh and Uzbek, from Cyrillic to Latin scripts. Although language reforms have taken place several times since independence, the current presidents emphasize the need for language changes and the transition to a Latin alphabet. The thesis has primarily focused on the countries' current presidents, Kasym-Jomart Tokayev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who intensify the transition process and fulfilment of the decrees on Latinization. I explore how switching from the Cyrillic script (seen as Soviet legacy) to the Latin script serves as countries’ power for creating powerful titular languages as the significance of Kazakh and Uzbek national identity homogenization, depriving from Soviet legacy and maintaining political motives. Moreover, it analyzes how Latinization as a soft power impacts young peoples' identity and language preferences. The study's methodology includes a discourse analysis of those recent decrees on switching to the Latin alphabet and introducing new alphabets to titular languages. Semi-structured in-depth interviews help discover the opinions of young people in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on the language changes, their attitude toward the Russian, and their opinion on language changes from the political perspective. The research considers the historical narrative of language development and national identity construction throughout the different periods. There is an assumption of generalization in the literature of language politics of Central Asia countries; this comparative study of Kazakh's and Uzbek's linguistic nationalism transforming the national identity among young people emphasize the countries' particularities and similarities. Thus, this thesis will contribute to the contemporary discussion on language politics in the region. Keywords: Latin scripts, a new alphabet, identity among young people, Russian language |
| Supervisor | Kovács András |
| Department | Nationalism Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2021/bashimova_jemile.pdf |
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