“Despite the growing interest in the activities and lives of Alash-Orda residents, the public field still lacks large dialogue platforms about the impact of Alash-Orda ideas on modernity,” says Kamila Smagulova (Kazakhstan), participant of the 2021 CABAR.asia School of Analytics.
The material is dedicated to the release of the first issue of the socio-political and literary newspaper “Kazakh” on February 2, 1913
Today in Kazakhstan, one can observe a growing interest in the representatives of the 20th century intelligentsia (intellectual society), namely, in the figures of the government of Alash-Orda (“Alashordians”). They were the organizers of the cognominal autonomy, formed in 1917 in Semey and existed until 1920, being disbanded by the Soviet authorities. Later, most of the leaders of Alash-Orda have faced reprisals.
The decision to create the Alash national liberation movement was made in July 1917 at the First All-Kazakh Congress in Orenburg. The main goal of Alash was the restoration of Kazakh statehood. The authors of the party program were state and political figure Alikhan Bokeikhanov (leader of the Alash party), educator and linguist Akhmet Baitursynov, writer and poet Mirzhakyp Dulatov.
Alash-Orda and Modernity
One can notice the interest in the representation of Alashordians everywhere: from clips and blogs to publications in the media. One example of the image of the leaders of Alash-Orda can be called the video of the group “Irina Kairatovna” for the song “5000”, which has numerous social references, where the authors depict photographs of the leaders of Alash-Orda before being shot. In addition, after the video clip was posted, clothes with images of these historical figures were launched. Media platforms like Masa Media and Batyr Jamal regularly publish notes related to Alash-Orda. For example, the 155th birthday of the leader of the Alash movement, A. Bokeikhanov, is March 5 or the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions on May 31. Brand Mussa Sketch, created by Adilzhan Musa, also uses logos with portraits of Alashordians – Baitursynuly, Shokay and Bokeikhan in its products. Over the past two years, the Unknownkazak blog of Dias Kameridanov has been gaining popularity, where the author shares notes on the history of Kazakhstan, while placing a great emphasis on the biographies of Alashordians.
The influence of these historical figures, as well as possible parallels with modern civil society, along with mass culture, can also be seen in the agenda of the Oyan Kazakhstan movement, which was formed in 2019 during the period of power transit.
Most of the expert discussions still remain in narrow circles. For example, in July 2020, the Kaz PhD Association in the UK arranged a conversation with the director of the Alash Research Institute, Sultankhan Akkuly. The organization of such educational discussions would probably be in great demand today not only in expert circles, but also in popular online publications and platforms with a wider audience.
It is noteworthy that in the past year, according to the Bureau of National Statistics, the name Alikhan was the most popular among boys. Without detailed sociological surveys, it may not be objective to link this phenomenon with the popularity of A. Bokeikhanov in modern society. However, the connection may still be present.
Parallels with the present time
The desire for self-determination is a quest for identity in the 21st century
One of the key values and ideas of the Alash-Orda figures was the right to self-determination of the steppe Kazakhs in the 20th century. In the context of an independent state, the right to one’s own national identity is constitutional. Nevertheless, for today’s youth, brought up in post-Soviet families, and after having caught the wave of globalization, today it is important to form their own cultural code outside the state agenda and ideology.
It can be assumed that the interest in the biography and agenda of the Alashordians is nothing more than a desire to look for their national heroes. It is quite possible that today’s youth is less and less willing to associate themselves with the Soviet past and needs a relevant national agenda suitable for today. In the context of nation-building, a similar reason can also be associated with the comments of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin about territorial “gifts” to his neighbors. It is likely that such statements may influence the reluctance of young people to associate themselves with the Soviet and colonial past in terms of history and territory.
At this stage, value systems are being transformed, and representatives of the new generation are not afraid to write about the manufactured famine, repressions, and political prisoners. There is a certain demand for the revival of one’s own history through the prism of the same Alashordians, but in accordance with modern expectations and values.
Education as the main value of enlightening the people
As it is known, the leaders of the Alash-Orda were educated in Tsarist Russia, some at that time even had the opportunity to receive a European education. In addition to Kazakh and Russian, representatives of the intelligentsia of Alash-Orda spoke Arabic, French, German, and other foreign languages. Education was the goal of such Alash-Orda figures as Baitursynov, Zhumabaev or Dulatov as a key to improve the quality of life in society.
Alashordians as graduates of St. Petersburg, Imperial Kazan universities are compared with graduates of the Bolashak program. Here, to some extent, there is a post-colonial context, which, despite the goals to promote the national idea, Alashordians were a kind of natives of colonial educational institutions, they were “colonial intellectuals”.
Despite the potential controversy in the post-colonial aspect, the parallel can be drawn not with certain graduates of foreign programs, but with education as a tool for enlightenment and social development. For example, the need for knowledge of the English language, the desire of citizens to receive a quality education, and in general, the growth in demand for higher education may reflect the influence of the values and ideas of Alashordians of the last century on today.
Political agenda: Oyan Qazaq and a new wave of civic activism
The figures of Alash-Orda were guided by the principles of democracy, they belonged to the liberal-democratic wing of the intelligentsia of the last century. They demanded voting rights for the Kazakhs from Tsarist Russia, and then from the Bolsheviks. Their idea was based on the fact that within the framework of a federal state there should be autonomy capable of self-government and endowed with due political rights.
It can be assumed that over the past few years, the mention of Alashordians has grown, in connection with the past century of Alash Autonomy in 2017. However, there are political and social changes in Kazakhstan that may also overlap with the Alash-Orda agenda. A parallel can be traced to the Oyan, Qazaqstan movement, found in 2019 after the resignation of the first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, and his transfer of power to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. This event had a significant impact on the social mobilization of citizens, the subsequent elections became the beginning of such actions as “You can’t Run Away from the Truth” or “Kazakh Koktemi”.
The name of this movement is a reference to the cognominal work by M. Dulatov, written in 1909, calling on the Kazakh people to be open to knowledge and enlightenment in dark times. Despite some criticism that – this movement omits important lines in this poem and does not consider Muslim theses, the certainly liberal ideas of the time find some reference in the formation of the ideas of new generation activists. The figures of Alash-Orda at one time demanded voting rights and equality as autonomy from both the tsarist and the Soviet authorities. It was the 2019 elections that showed how important transparency and observance of their electoral rights are to citizens.
Moreover, there are parallels between “Oyan, Qazaqstan” and the people of Alash-Orda in a way that they are called a new wave of socio-political movements in their era. For example, the movement “Oyan, Qazaqstan” in the study of Gusarova A, Beisembaev S. and Kabatova K. is classified as a new generation of activists, while Alash-Orda also formed a significantly new layer of intelligentsia in the 20th century.
This parallel does not aim to assert that the movements of the last century and today have fundamental similarities, but a certain part of the promoted, mostly civil, and political values, are in contact and have similar principles. It is in this context that it can be assumed that the ideas and values previously promoted by the Alashordians find a response in modern society.
Media as a tool for promoting ideas and reinterpretation of history
The current independent media portals can also be cited as an example of a parallel with the era of Alashordians. In 1913, it was the formation of the Kazak newspaper, which was published in Orenburg, that served as the subsequent formation of the Alash party in 1917. The newspaper was its official entity. Under the editorship of Dulatula and Baitursynov, this newspaper had a circulation of 8,000 people. The fact that the newspaper ceased to exist in 1920, along with the collapse of autonomy, indicates its significant influence on the society of that time and the fear on the part of the authorities at that time.
It is the importance of journalism in promoting ideas that is one of the current agendas for today’s reality in the Kazakhstani media. Like many Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan has a low level of media freedom. The more the need for objective and independent media grows.
Online publications such as Masa Media or Batyr Jamal have a direct reference to the era of Alash-Orda. “Masa” refers us to the cognominal work (“Komar”, 1911), A. Baitursynov, where the author calls for education and enlightenment and getting rid of indifference. “Batyr Zhamal”, in turn, is a reference to Dulatula’s poem “Bakytsyz Zhamal”, which speaks of the difficult fate of steppe women, which is still relevant to this day.
The representation of Alashordians in social networks also increases interest in the figures and influences the need to consecrate history. The blogger Unknownkazak regularly refers to Bokeykhan’s quotes, acquaints people with the repressions of the 20th century, which also influences the formation and, in a way, reassessment of these historical figures in modern times.
However, in the dialogue of the audience with the current media, expert ideas and factuality are still lacking. Social media blogs do not always imply and do not always consider the need to provide the same literature and primary sources that readers could later rely on. Moreover, it is not always clear whether the authors are pursuing enlightening and educational goals or are trying to create public outcry based on the national sentiments of citizens. That is why it is important to critically rethink the biographies and activities of the intelligentsia of the 20th century and beyond. This could be a great contribution to nation building today.
Relevance and controversy
Despite the request to study the ideas of the Alash-Orda, there are critical narratives that the emphasis mainly on the Alash-Orda as key figures of the 20th century excludes figures who equally contributed to the development of culture, literature, and society. Moreover, the relatively short period of existence of the Alash autonomy may raise questions about how objectively it is to expand this particular period of the history of the last century. The question may also arise why, among many figures of culture, literature, and politics, it is the Alashordians who stand out today and whether their agenda is so applicable today.
It is important to understand that the figures of Alash-Orda themselves, Zhakhansha Dosmukhamedov , Alimkhan Ermekov, Raimzhan Marsekov and others, are in the shadow of attention of a wide audience. It is difficult to point to the exact reasons, only the availability of information can be cited as an example.
Moreover, there are certain factual confusions when such figures as Saken Seifullin and Dzhansugurov Ilyas are also considered to be among the members of the Alash party, despite the fact that they were not members of it, although they were also repressed in the late 1930s.
At this stage, there is a growing interest in which the historical context may be lost. Thus, we understand that sometimes despite the request, there is still the importance of educational activities and the dissemination of reliable information. A kind of “Alashization” of history would be interesting from the point of view of revising these figures and their influence on the emerging modern social and political agenda of nation-building in the country.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that in the context of the history of the XX, Alash-Orda existed for a relatively short period of time, the interest in this movement and its leaders at the present time is obvious. The need of young people for national heroes and their new image in modern Kazakhstan is growing. Given the growing popularity in pop culture, the information space, etc., it is important to promote the dissemination of relevant and reliable information on such sensitive topics.
There are many other explanations for what exactly in the agenda and values of Alash-Orda resonates with the citizens of Kazakhstan today, in addition to those previously mentioned. However, this trend calls for more in-depth research to identify the needs of young people in how they see or would like to see their cultural code, their national identity.
At this stage, it is important to provide an information bridge or a dialogue platform where experts, influencers and representatives of the mass media could cooperate with each other and discuss the relevance of both Alashordians and other historical figures of Kazakhstan and their impact on modern society.
Documentary films can serve as one of such methods of forming the cultural code of the modern generation by studying the biographies and values of intelligentsia. Today it is important that these are modern and easily perceived by the audience works. One of the last extensive cycles of documentaries was “Secrets. Fate. Names of great Kazakhs” by journalist Maya Bekbayeva for Khabar TV channel. However, five years have passed since then, and significant changes have taken place in society.
A general reassessment and the possibility of an objective, from different perspectives of studying and broadcasting, the agenda of Alashordians in modern society is important. In addition to reliable and cited sources of information and experts, it is worth moving away from the idealization of historical characters and considering them in terms of values and innovations that could be applied today.