Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the great women of Kazakhstan commemorated on the streets of Almaty. The study suggests that the process of the de-Sovietisation of sheroes has not begun, since the commemoration practices continue to exclude those repressed during Soviet repression period.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines the great women of Kazakhstan commemorated in the public space during the Soviet period and independent Kazakhstan, given a special attention to the analysis of the streets of Almaty (urbanonyms). The study suggests that the process of the de-Sovietisation of Kazakhstani role models and sheroes has not begun, since the glorification processes continue to exclude those repressed during Soviet repression period.

Those women found as victims of repressions (mostly members of the families of “enemies of the people”) were not visible, forgotten or forbidden during Soviet times are still not commemorated and are not found in the public space.

Now there are 49 streets named after women in Almaty, 19 of them were named in the Soviet period. Among them 11 are Soviet heroes of the WWII and first female cosmonaut. The remaining 8 streets are female symbols of Soviet Kazakhstan.

Other 30 streets were named since gaining independence in 1991. But new names turned to preserve the soviet legacy by using the familiar female Kazakh Soviet symbols that have an “appropriate background”. Most of these names were present in Soviet social-cultural and public space (directories, poetry, postcards, stamps, TV, cinema, etc).

Among all 49 streets named after female personalities there is only one exception – Anna Nikolskaya, who was a repressed prisoner in Karlag.

The article is aimed at starting a discussion on de-Sovietization of women's history of Kazakhstan. In order to make a transition from one narrative to another the study suggests using social media, offline and online lectures and exhibitions to recover and represent forgotten repressed female figures of Kazakhstan.