AESTHETIC AND POLITICAL PRACTICES IN CENTRAL ASIAN TURKISH SOCIETIES: ART, POWER AND IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION
Authors: Elbay Sezgin 
Published: November 2024

This study investigates the historical interplay between aesthetics and political practices in Central Asian Turkic societies. It particularly focuses on how the Huns, Göktürks, and Uighur Turkic communities utilized art and aesthetics to symbolize political power and construct social identity. The findings illustrate that aesthetic practices were not solely expressions of artistic creativity but also served as representations of political authority and as strategic instruments for the consolidation of social order. In this context, the study examines the role of aesthetic elements such as stone inscriptions, architectural structures, and religious symbols in glorifying and legitimizing political power within Central Asian Turkic societies. The principal aim of this research is to elucidate how aesthetics and political practices co-evolved in these societies and to assess the implications of this co-evolution for social identity construction. The study also explores how art was employed as a political language, extending beyond its function as a mere vehicle for aesthetic expression. The impact of the nomadic lifestyle on art and aesthetics is further analyzed, with particular emphasis on the functional integration of artistic traditions, especially in metalworking and portable art. The research also evaluates the influence of religious beliefs such as Tengrism, Manichaeism, and Buddhism on aesthetic practices, with a specific focus on how aesthetic elements in Göktürk and Uighur inscriptions reinforced political authority. These artistic works are interpreted as propaganda tools, consolidating rulers' power and authority while also serving as visual and symbolic narratives that shaped social identity. A qualitative research methodology was adopted, with document analysis as the primary method. Historical documents, including Göktürk inscriptions, architectural structures, and other relevant artifacts, were meticulously examined to provide a comprehensive analysis of the development of aesthetic and political practices within their historical context. Conceptual analysis was employed to examine the relationships between key concepts such as aesthetics, power, and identity construction. The analysis particularly focused on the role of aesthetic practices in representing political authority and shaping social identity within the social, religious, and cultural frameworks of the time. To facilitate collective evaluation, the findings are presented in tabular form, concretizing the relationship between aesthetic elements, political authority, and social structure. This demonstrates that art functioned not merely as a form of aesthetic expression, but as a socio-political tool integral to the reinforcement of social structures and political order. In conclusion, this study offers a comprehensive analysis of how aesthetic and political practices were interwoven in Central Asian Turkic societies and examines the impact of this integration on social structures. Aesthetic practices were employed as strategic tools for the consolidation of political power and the formation of social identities. The findings reveal that art and aesthetics in these societies were not merely processes of individual creation but functioned as mechanisms to strengthen social structures and reinforce political order.