Cultural and Social Psychology

Poetic Culture, Cultural Memory, and Spiritual Identity: Reclaiming Turkic-Kazakh Heritage from Soviet Repression to Independence

https://doi.org/10.61838/ijbmc.v13i4.1369
Turkic-Kazakh spiritual heritage poetic culture cultural memory spiritual identity Soviet repression

Authors

  • Nurbolat Manapbayev
    manapbaev.nurbolat@proton.me
    Abai Kazakh National pedagogical university
  • Zhomart Simtikov Ph.D. in Political Science, Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
  • Onlasyn Buribekov Ph.D Doctoral Student of the Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
  • Zhuldyz Manapbayeva Ph.D, Department of Kazakh Literature and Theory of Literature, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
  • Kapash Kashakbayeva Ph.D, Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
  • Serik Niyazbekov PhD Candidate, Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Vol. 13 No. 4 (2026): April
Theoretical Study(ies)

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Objective: This study examined the transformation of Turkic-Kazakh poetic culture as a form of spiritual heritage, cultural memory, and identity preservation from the Soviet period to the era of Independence. It also explored how poetic texts and press materials served as symbolic resources for sustaining collective meaning amid ideological repression and supporting cultural renewal in the post-Soviet context.

Methods and Materials: This historical-analytical study used archival documents, Soviet-era press materials, and contextual textual analysis. Relevant sources were drawn from archival collections and periodicals such as Ak Zhol, Birlik Tuy, and Saule. The works and public activities of selected Kazakh poets, writers, and intellectuals, especially those associated with the southern Turkestan region, were examined to identify patterns of censorship, exclusion, and later recovery of poetic heritage. Data were interpreted through analysis, synthesis, historical comparison, and thematic reading.

Findings: The findings showed that Turkic-Kazakh poetic culture served not only as a literary form but also as a repository of collective memory, moral values, and spiritual identity. During the Soviet period, especially in the 1920s and 1930s, this cultural sphere was subjected to political repression, ideological filtering, and removal from public discourse. Many poets and intellectuals who preserved national symbolism, oral traditions, and cultural continuity were marginalized, persecuted, or consigned to archival silence. In the era of Independence, the rediscovery of these materials helped restore cultural memory and renew national and spiritual self-understanding.

Conclusion: Reassessing repressed poetic heritage highlights poetic culture as a resource for collective identity, symbolic meaning, and cultural resilience.