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The New Subaltern and Forms of Resistance in Kazakhstan

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Post-Colonial Approaches in Kazakhstan and Beyond

Part of the book series: The Steppe and Beyond: Studies on Central Asia ((SBSCA))

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Abstract

This chapter focuses on the emergence of the “new” subaltern in the post-independence period in Kazakhstan. I argue that one of the important causes of subalternity is authoritarian neoliberalism, i.e. when neoliberal market ideology is supported and promoted in an authoritarian context. The combination of the two leads to the capture of the state by the rich and powerful, while the majority of the population is excluded and marginalized. In such a society, inequality, injustice, and powerlessness become paramount. To overcome these conditions, the subalterns challenge the existing power relations and institutions through various forms of resistance. Using new conceptual frameworks—rightful resistance and lawfare—I show that people resort not only to open protests but also go to the courts, turn for help to political parties, and use the law and state system to challenge power relations and their subalternity.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The score goes from 1 to 7 with 7 having high levels of freedom and 1 —least freedoms.

  2. 2.

    State of the Nation Address by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, September 2, 2019.

  3. 3.

    https://rus.azattyq.org/a/kazakhstan_corruption_/2322770.html.

  4. 4.

    An electronic platform where citizens can write and send their official requests and complaints to the state bodies.

  5. 5.

    Interview with one of the activists.

  6. 6.

    Interview with one of the local activists.

  7. 7.

    Ismukhanova, G., D. Shairpova, B. Turkhanov, G. Nasimova, S. Ermakhanoa, Sh. Kilybaeyva, T. Ubmetalieyva, and L. Gurevich. 2019. “Tsennosti Kazakhstanskogo Obschestva v sotsiologicheskom izmerenii” [Values of Kazakhstani Society Through the Prism of Sociological Dimension], 66. Almaty: FES.

  8. 8.

    Interview with urban activists.

  9. 9.

    Interview with urban activists.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Public Policy, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan

    Dina Sharipova

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  1. Dina Sharipova
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Correspondence to Dina Sharipova .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Public Policy, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan

    Dina Sharipova

  2. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan

    Alima Bissenova

  3. Graduate School of Public Policy, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan

    Aziz Burkhanov

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Sharipova, D. (2024). The New Subaltern and Forms of Resistance in Kazakhstan. In: Sharipova, D., Bissenova, A., Burkhanov, A. (eds) Post-Colonial Approaches in Kazakhstan and Beyond. The Steppe and Beyond: Studies on Central Asia. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-8262-2_6

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