The Creative Sector of Kazakhstan through the Prism of Geopolitics: The Soft Power of Cultural Heritage
Authors: Ипполитов С.С. 
Published: November 2023

В статье исследуется феномен «мягкой силы» мировых игроков, использующих креативный сектор Казахстана для насаждения собственной политической повестки, направленной на расторжение вековых культурных и исторических связей Казахстана с его соседями, в первую очередь, с Российской Федерацией. Источниковую базу исследования составили: открытая информация иностранных агентов влияния, осуществляющих деятельность на территории Казахстана, нормативные акты республики, публикации казахстанских ученых, данные национальных рейтинговых агентств Казахстана, российские статистические источники. Исследованы методы, широко используемые в ментальном противостоянии ведущих держав: внедрение в публичную сферу чуждых традиционной казахской культуре нарративов, попытки дискредитации общей истории и культурного наследия, насаждение в молодежной среде деструктивных практик, образов и этических установок через подконтрольные инструменты индустрии развлечений.

The article explores the phenomenon of the soft power of global players that use the creative sector of Kazakhstan to impose their own political agenda aimed at breaking the centuries-old cultural and historical ties of Kazakhstan with its neighbors, primarily with the Russian Federation. The source base of the study contains open information of foreign agents of influence operating in the Republic of Kazakhstan, regulatory acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan, publications of Kazakh scientists, data from national rating agencies of Kazakhstan, Russian statistical sources. The methodological tools were developed taking into account the possibilities of the structural-functional approach, which considers soft power as an integral system with a certain set of parameters and functions, as well as the institutional approach. The author considers activities of international organizations that influence the development of the creative industries of Kazakhstan (British Council and Goethe-Institut) and evaluates the policies of a number of states aimed at developing the cultural space of the republic (USA, Japan). He also studies methods widely used in the mental confrontation of the leading powers: the introduction of narratives alien to the traditional Kazakh culture into the public sphere, attempts to discredit the common history and cultural heritage, planting of destructive practices, images and ethical attitudes in the youth environment through controlled tools of the entertainment industry. The author emphasizes the success in Kazakhstan of humanitarian activities implemented by China and based on respect for the traditional cultural foundations and heritage of the states and peoples with which the PRC is developing cooperation, and considers the events in the field of culture and the humanitarian sphere, carried out by Chinese creative teams in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The author analyzes in detail the impact by the soft power of the Russian Federation on the socio-political discourse and creative industries of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The author concludes that Russia’s strong, at first glance, position in the creative industries of the Republic of Kazakhstan is ensured by the wide spread of the Russian language in the country and historical and cultural closeness. Meanwhile, these positions are currently being challenged and eroded through the soft power tools of the collective West. Such a policy of states unfriendly to Russia finds some support among the Kazakhstani elites, who are pursuing a targeted policy of national cultural isolation.