Language and Identity: the Case of Stand-Up Comedy in Kazakhstan

Abstract

Nation-building in Kazakhstan has attracted wide scholarly attention over the last 30 years. A significant amount of literature devoted to nation-building and identity politics in Kazakhstan is concentrated on language, nationalities policies as well as symbolic politics such as the phenomenon of “spectacular cities”, national anthem and currency, cinema, modernist development strategies, technopolitics and textbook historical narratives. However, the increasingly popular stand-up comedy sphere is currently lacking attention. This study aims at uncovering the reflections of post-Soviet Kazakhstan’s nation-building processes in the work of independent stand- up comedians. Semi-structured in-depth interviews with 7 independent stand-up comedians in Almaty were conducted in person and online in order to gather data on their experiences regarding language use, politics and boundaries in stand-up comedy. This data was used to illuminate language-related social pressure on the comedians and the shift of dominant language ideology towards a more prominent position of Kazakh in terms of solidarity and, although to a lesser extent, status. Additionally, the data demonstrate points of conflict between discursive meaning behind the dominant language ideology and the creative industries’ market mechanisms.