Transformations of collective memory: images of the past in the cultural landscape of the Khobdinsky district

Abstract

This article presents findings from field studies of sites of memory conducted in the Khobdinsky district of the Aktobe region. The study examines how Soviet-era images and patterns of collective memory are being reevaluated. It observes the interplay between mechanisms of preservation and forgetting when interpreting past events. The erasure of “heroic” Soviet symbols becomes evident in relation to certain monuments, which face the possibility of being excluded from the list of historically and culturally protected assets by the government. Conversely, the valorization of World War II figures, exemplified by Aliya Moldagulova, remains a widely propagated aspect of collective memory, spanning both regional and national dimensions. Moreover, the heroes of World War II, significant for regional memory and identity, are being placed into a wider context of the Kazakh people’s heroic history, whose main symbols are now such figures like Karakypshak Koblandy and Isatai Taymanuly. Alongside the hybridization of heroic imagery across pre-colonial, colonial, and Soviet epochs, the authors also chronicle instances where mosques evolve into pivotal elements of memory sites. Consequently, these sites become integral to the development of new public spaces in contemporary Kazakhstan.