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- Convenor:
-
Funda Guven
(Nazarbayev University)
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- Format:
- Panel
- Theme:
- Gender Studies
Abstract
Creative labor functions both as a cultural expression and a driving force for structural change in the society in Kazakhstan. This panel aims to examine how women construct Kazakhstan's modern identity by not only producing aesthetic value but also reshaping social norms. It will also explore how women from diverse disciplines active in fields such as literature, painting, film, music, and fashion, and engaged in entrepreneurship within creative industries, transform creativity into a tool for social change. Drawing on theory of “inclusive institutions,” women’s participation in creative industries demonstrates how institutional frameworks, market openness, and secure economic rights enable broader participation and innovation, allowing creative labor to function as both a cultural expression and a driver of structural and economic change through art. In this way, women’s participation reflects not only individual agency but also the capacity of liberalized economic structures to promote sustainable social and economic development. From a feminist theoretical perspective, the increasing visibility of women artists and entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan’s creative industries signals both processes of emancipation and the reconfiguration of gendered social roles. We will also address Judith Butler’s idea of gender performance, which argues that art functions as a subversive act that questions norms in a society. This panel brings the voices of curators, singers, designers, and painters to the ongoing discussion of social change in Kazakhstan.
Accepted papers
Abstract
For a long time, and even up until today, patriarchy prevailed in Kazakh society. Women were unable to raise their voices. In today's society, Kazakh girls have begun to fight back against the difficulties they face through art - painting, song, dance, and various artistic forms. This struggle is now rapidly developing and finding support among women in society. This article examines the direction of this "voice" in the field of poetry. When a country has fair rules, a free market, and protected property rights -"inclusive institutions", women have a real chance to express themselves creatively. In such an environment, art ceases to be just a hobby - it becomes a powerful force that changes both culture and the economy.
Women's success in the creative industries is a sign that the economy is becoming open and modern, which ultimately benefits the entire society. Drawing on Judith Butler's theory of gender performativity, the article analyzes how Kazakhstani women use art to deconstruct traditional gender roles and imposed social expectations. The article argues that contemporary Kazakh poetry has moved from a historically forced "silence" to an active, performative rethinking of identity. Through an analysis of the works of contemporary female poets, the process of dismantling patriarchal norms and the emergence of subjectivity is demonstrated.
Abstract
In recent years, Kazakh cinema has witnessed a significant rise of female figures – both directors and producers – within the realms of independent art-house and mainstream popular cinema. This study aims to analyze how the aesthetic choices of female directors transform the traditional representation of women prevalent in masculine cinematic language.
Contrasting the approaches of their predecessors, female filmmakers move beyond portraying the female image as a static object, instead reconstructing it as a multi-layered and authentic subject on both social and individual levels. This transformation is not limited to the creative process behind the camera; the increasing presence of female producers (entrepreneurs) in the industry provides an institutional framework for the audibility of the “female voice.”
Within the scope of this presentation, the representation of female characters, their relationship with gender roles, and the ways in which cinema resonates as a “public sphere” for the female voice will be examined through selected films by directors and producers such as Sharipa Urazbayeva, Zhannat Alshanova, and Bayan Maksatkyzy. In this context, the transformative role of Kazakh female filmmakers' aesthetic and industrial initiatives in reshaping the national cinematic identity will be discussed.
Abstract
This paper examines contemporary Kazakh artist Moldir Karibaykizi’s work, focusing on her provocative approach to gender, memory, and family tree within the context of patriarchal Kazakh narratives. In Kazakh cultural tradition, individuals trace their ancestry back to seven generations as a part of their primordial identity; this practice largely privileges the male line while it renders women largely invisible. Karibaykizi challenges women's exclusion, particularly with her work "Jeti Ana" (Seven Grandmothers) which she depicts a seven-layered female embodiment transformed into a traditional cushion. By centering the female body as both a biological and symbolic reproductive space, the artist reclaims the erased presence of women in male dominated genealogical trajectory. The layered structure reimagines the culturally significant domain of male ancestors through female ancestors. Her work does not only question why women are excluded from genealogical records but also critiques the broader patriarchal knowledge production systems that devalues women’s agency and bodiliness. This article, starting from a second wave of feminist framework to postmodern feminism, argues that Karibaykizi’s art functions as a form of visual resistance and underscores the female body as a space for memory, continuity, as well as calls for alternative historical narratives.