Abstract

The main argument of this research posits that armed conflict not only leads to a major reframing of national identity for the belligerents, but also has a noticeable effect on national identity in nearby states. Such an argument is supported by the use of securitization theory, which frames national identity as a referent object under “the threat of extinction” as framed by the securitizing actors. By employing comparative discourse analysis of presidential addresses in Ukraine and Kazakhstan from 2019 to 2024 this study aims to examine the transformation of rhetoric, whether and how the two leaders securitize national identity. The research attempts to systematize the study of war and its effect on identity in and out of the conflict zone, as well as attempt to shed light on previously understudied subject of official identity rhetoric in Kazakhstan post-2022 and discern the effect of inward-bound securitization around the January events and outward-bound securitization around the conflict in Ukraine.