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- Convenor:
-
Yermek Toktarov
(Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies)
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- Chair:
-
Aigul Sadvokassova
(Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies)
- Discussant:
-
Aziz Burkhanov
(Nazarbayev University)
- Format:
- Panel
- Theme:
- Sociology & Social Issues
- Location:
- Room 2001
- Sessions:
- Wednesday 17 June, -
Time zone: KZT
Abstract
Aligning with the CESS 2026 theme "(Re)thinking Central Eurasia: Spaces, Societies, and Power", this pre-organized panel from the Institute of Philosophy, Political Science, and Religion Studies (Almaty) investigates the complex interplay between multiple identities and social consensus in Kazakhstan. As Central Eurasia navigates rapid sociopolitical and technological transformations, understanding the mechanisms that bridge social distance and foster societal accord is of critical importance.
The panel offers a multidimensional approach to identity construction. First, we examine the overarching sociological framework of trust, analyzing how multiple civic and ethnic identities interact to define the boundaries of social cohesion in a transitional society. Second, the religious dimension is explored by addressing how spiritual infrastructures and digitalization impact religious identities, facilitating or challenging interfaith dialogue and tolerance within a post-atheist context. Finally, the panel brings a novel perspective from digital social sciences, evaluating how digital identity formation, internet immersion, and network communication are reshaping social spaces and traditional identities, particularly among the youth.
By synthesizing empirical sociological data with religious and digital studies, this panel provides a comprehensive assessment of how a unified civil identity and social consensus are constructed in contemporary Kazakhstan. The panel's findings will be synthesized and critically evaluated by our Discussant, Aziz Burkhanov (Nazarbayev University), whose expertise provides an essential theoretical framework for this discussion.
Accepted papers
Session 1 Wednesday 17 June, 2026, -Abstract
The phenomenon of multiple identities within Islamic discourse is a highly relevant topic given the impermanence and ontological turbulence of modern processes shaping individual and societal identity. Driven by the digitalization of cultural and religious spaces, socio-humanitarian studies seek new interdisciplinary methodologies—rejecting classical essentialism—to critically conceptualize various identities united by Islamic content.
Islamic discourse and multiple identities are mutually defining concepts. The discourse acts as a semantic construct explaining human existence through Islamic values, history, symbols, and everyday practices. Far from being dogmatic, it is dynamic and historically embedded, ready for new contextual content while remaining ontologically stable to retain the core of Islamic identity. These multiple identities reflect a Muslim's worldview, synthesizing confessional identity with civic, professional, global-local, and digital facets. They deconstruct identity's monolithicity while constructing models of thought that shape life in the global digital era. Digital templates often turn identity into a patchwork.
Drawing on post-structuralist and post-colonial frameworks (Foucault, Said, Arkoun, Asad, Sardar), multiple identities hold profound ontological meaning, where the spiritual Islamic paradigm constructs the subjective power of identity. Islamic discourse integrates classical concepts into modern practices of post-normality. The ontological meanings of the Islamic tradition are not deconstructed; instead, they assemble in digital reality to represent Islamic existence in renewal. Here, "being" implies constancy, while "becoming" signifies ongoing transformation.
In the digital space, multiple identities are shaped by cyber-Islam, creating a rhizomatic environment for identity reproduction. Consequently, Islamic identity is non-final and continuously becoming. This rhizomatic digital reality hybridizes identity. It is ambivalent: it emancipates society by liberalizing religious identity, yet simultaneously "imancipates" (from iman—faith) by enclosing Islamic subjectivity within radical boundaries.
Surprisingly, despite this deconstruction, Islamic identity preserves its ontology and uniqueness. A key question arises: do multiple identities secularize and deconstruct the ultimate meanings of Islamic identity to fit laicist templates, or do they forge new forms of Islamic rootedness in digital reality? The answer largely depends on spiritual sovereignization and cognitive clarity.
Abstract
The paper explores how various components of multiple identity relate to the boundaries of trust in Kazakhstan. The empirical basis is a secondary analysis of data from a mass sociological survey containing questions on civic orientation, ethnocultural traditionalism, linguistic competence, religiosity, institutional trust, and social distance.
Multiple identity is examined as a configuration of civic, ethnocultural, linguistic, religious, and territorial components that are differentially associated with intergroup trust and social distance. To operationalize it, civic orientation is analyzed through perceptions of civic belonging, the equality of citizens, and the significance of the civic nation. The ethnocultural component is revealed through ethnicity and the observance of traditions; the linguistic component is analyzed through the language of the interview and self-assessed proficiency in key languages; and the religious component is examined through self-assessed religiosity and attitudes toward religious coexistence.
The results indicate that a civic orientation is more frequently associated with higher intergroup trust. Respondents who strongly express civic belonging and an orientation toward citizen equality demonstrate greater trust in people of a different ethnicity or religion. However, this correlation does not imply an automatic reduction in social distance. A high assessment of civic unity can coexist with an unwillingness to live in the same neighborhood as certain groups, which may point to a distinction between civic solidarity as a normative attitude and the practical boundaries of social closeness.
The boundaries of trust in Kazakhstan are formed at the intersection of several lines of differentiation: ethnicity, migration status, religion, language, and territorial origin. At the same time, ethnocultural traditionalism is not always accompanied by social closure, and bilingual profiles demonstrate higher communicative openness compared to respondents with limited linguistic competence. Linguistic competence acts simultaneously as an identity marker and a resource for intergroup communication.
The paper contributes to the discussion on post-Soviet nation-building, social boundaries, and trust within the multi-ethnic societies of Central Eurasia. The main conclusion is that multiple identity in Kazakhstan has a multilayered character: while civic belonging contributes to the expansion of intergroup trust, the boundaries of trust continue to be shaped at the intersection of linguistic, religious, migration, and territorial differences.