CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VI (1) Contemporary-Eurasia-VI-1-engl | Page 118

CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VI (1)
seems that there would be no problem after repatriation. However,
diaspora Kazakhs faced difficulties connected with language in the
homeland. The employment for ethnic diaspora Kazakh became a
problem because of their zero-knowledge of Russian. To solve the
problems, Kazakhstani government amended the Law on Migration
and in 2007 an article was added to the Law according to which
'oralmans' or Kazakh return migrants would have opportunities to
learn Russian language in temporary accommodation centers 38 . The
amendments seem to be quite contradictory to Kazakh government
decisions regarding language policies. Ironically speaking in order to
become full members of the Kazakh society, the orlamans should
learn Russian language. Thus, this phenomenon is a compelling case
to understand the necessity of the establishment of Kazakhs' cultural
hegemony to encourage language policy both at state and society levels.
However, the roots of Russian language are really quite profound,
and the language policy of Nazarbayev is just the start of counter-
hegemonic struggle, and nobody knows how long it will last. During
one of his speeches in the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan
President Nazarbayev told: “I dream of the day when I will speak the
state language, and everyone will understand me” 39 .
Conclusion
To conclude, the article examined the language policies of
independent Kazakhstan and its role on national identity formation
processes. The revival of Kazakh language is comprehended as an
essential medium to replace Soviet identity with new national one.
The paper argued that the destructive impact of Russian language has
the potential to be transformed into a positive source of national
identity formation. The Russian language is considered as a barrier for
ethnic Kazakhs, and the overcoming of that language barrier will
establish and strengthen new post-Soviet national identity. However,
Kuscu I., “Kazakhstan's Oralman Project: A Remedy for Ambiguous Identity?”
Indiana University, Central Eurasian Studies: Pro Quest, 2008, p. 149.
39
Lillis J., Kazakhstan: Astana Emphasizing Ethnic Harmony Following Kyrgyz
Violence, Eurasianet, 2010,
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/62251
38
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