The Islamic and Spiritual Resistance Movement of the Kazakh People against the Cultural Colonization of Tsarist Russia in the Early 20th Century

Zharas Akhan; Kanat Uskembayev; Samat Yeskaliyev; Zhanerke Nyshanbay; Askar Makipov; Aizhan Tuyakova; Nurdanbek Bekbolat

doi:10.32350/jitc.162.03

Authors

Zharas Akhan Astana International University , Kazakhstan https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3051-9382
Kanat Uskembayev Astana International University , Kazakhstan https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7154-8303
Samat Yeskaliyev Humanitarian Institute , Kazakhstan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6664-1738
Zhanerke Nyshanbay Astana International University , Kazakhstan https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3188-7330
Askar Makipov Humanitarian Institute , Kazakhstan https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1875-5518
Aizhan Tuyakova Astana International University , Kazakhstan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9644-8410
Nurdanbek Bekbolat Astana International University , Kazakhstan https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6910-1014

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.162.03

Keywords:

Islam, Islamic enlightenment movement, Kazakh Muslim people, madrasah, spiritual colonialism, tsarist Russia

Abstract

This study describes the policy of spiritual and cultural colonization of the Kazakh people by Tsarist Russia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It also comprehensively examines the historical, social, and ideological foundations of the Kazakh people's spiritual resistance to it. During this period, the Russian Empire used all its power to weaken the religious faith of the Kazakh people, which was intertwined with their culture. The research article examines the cultural resistance of Kazakh figures of that period. These individuals utilized Islamic morality, Turkic identity, and enlightenment ideals through education, literature, and the press to oppose spiritual colonization.The research in the article is based on archival sources, official documents and works of the time, as well as modern research. These works show the struggle for religious freedom and national identity in the Kazakh steppe. The research article makes a unique contribution to the literature of postcolonial historical studies by deeply examining the spiritual imperialism of Tsarist Russia and the resistance struggle of Muslim peoples in Central Asia.

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