The imagined nation-state in Soviet literature: the case of Koshpendiler

Abstract

This article focuses on the famous novel Koshpendiler (1976) by Ilyas Esenberlin. This literary work occupies a special place in Soviet Kazakh literature because it raises important problems such as the foundation of the state and nation, the sense of territoriality, and the struggle against Russian colonizers. The authors argue that this historical novel can be considered as an example of post-colonial discourse. The novel itself is an extrapolation of the 1970s' Soviet reality when national Union republics, including Kazakhstan, were seeking greater independence. Kazakh cultural elites and the intelligentsia turned to the past history of nation-building to address the problems of the present day. Not having an opportunity to openly express their views, the Kazakh establishment preferred to express their national sentiments through the historical genre. In this work, the authors suggest their own vision of Soviet national literature from political science and historical perspectives.

Keywords:

• post-colonial
• nomads
• Koshpendiler
• Kazakhstan
• historical novel
• statehood
• Kazakh ethnicity

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Uli Shamiloglu, Edward Schatz, Gabriel McGuire, and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on the earlier version of this manuscript.

Notes

1. In postcolonial theory hybridity is understood as new transcultural forms that arise from cross-cultural exchange. Hybridity can be social, political, linguistic, religious, etc. It is not necessarily a peaceful mixture, for it can be contentious and disruptive in its experience.

2. Yilmaz (2012) discusses how history of the past is reconstructed in contemporary Kazakhstan by historians and other intellectuals.

3. Esenberlin explained his long work on the trilogy by the fact that he thoroughly examined historical works and sources.

4. As Kazakhstani historians suggest, the word “Kazakh” emerged as early as the fourteenth century to mean “free man” and later the term referred to Uzbek Kazakhs who left Uzbek Ulus to settle in Mogulistan. Thus the Kazakh tribal confederation was understood as an “ethnie” – the term introduced by Anthony Smith and meaning pre-modern ethnic communities – emerged during the period of Kazakh Khanate formation in the second half of the fifteenth century (Kan 2009; Klyashtorny and Sultanov 1992).

5. Ulus is a term for the medieval state among Turkic and Mongol tribes from six to 18 C.E. Sometimes it can also be applied to hereditary lands.

6. Paradoxically, the Kazakh Khanate never initiated a conquering war, which is not characteristic of nomad culture.

7. The authors consider that the first book is above all an anti-imperial project, since it is devoted to problems of nation-state building. On the example of the creation of the Kazakh Khanate in the fifteenth century, the author recreates the history of an independent, sovereign Kazakh state.

8. Esenberlin was much criticized for the novel by his fellow writers. There were numerous reasons. One of them was his failure to master such a difficult genre as the historical novel. They also accused him of glorifying the past, called him a nationalist, finger-pointed at the propaganda of a foreign ideology, and spoke of the writer's political short-sightedness, ideological immaturity, and limited worldview. From the memoirs of B. Tulegenov, http://blogbasta.kz/?p=676.

9. Even in contemporary Kazakhstan, the problem of the division of Kazakhs according to their tribal membership plays a major role. Many national and foreign scholars have written on this problem (Khazanov 1995; Schatz 2004; Dave 2007).

10. Zhyrau is a poet in Kazakh society who occupied a high social status. He was granted the right to tell the truth to anyone, including rulers.

11. According to the beliefs of the Kazakhs, crustaceans, lizards, and fish are forbidden for use in food. They are considered unclean animals as opposed to horses, sheep, and cows, which eat nothing but grass and are consequently clean.

12. Oirats or Jungars are western Mongolian tribes that founded the Jungar Khanate in 1633. They are located in the west of Mongolia, in the Altay Mountains region.