Send message to Authors

Abstract

This paper explores the representation of gender and the evolving role of women's voices in Kazakh prose literature. By analyzing selected works from both Soviet-era and contemporary Kazakh writers, the study examines how gender dynamics are constructed, challenged, and redefined through narrative motifs, character development, and thematic structures. Particular attention is paid to recurring motifs such as motherhood, resistance, silence, exile, and tradition, which reflect broader social and cultural attitudes toward women and femininity. The paper investigates how female authors assert agency within a historically patriarchal literary tradition, and how male authors depict women in relation to national identity, cultural memory, and modernity. Through a comparative lens, the research highlights the shifting portrayals of gender roles and the gradual emergence of a distinct feminine literary voice in Kazakh prose. Ultimately, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how literature both reflects and shapes gender discourse within the broader context of Central Asian cultural transformation.