Oтражение государственной идентичности в текстах казахстанской прессы и сознании молодого поколения

Abstract

This article examines the issue of representing Kazakhstan’s state identity in local mass media and its manifestations in the consciousness of the younger generation. State identity is treated here as a form of collective identity, which, unlike national affiliation, encompasses various ethnicities, with citizenship and a commitment to state symbolism and values serving as the primary binding elements. Identity building in high-impact magazines and blogs occurs, among other things, through the use of terminology that directly describes the state (Kazakhstan, country, state) or through the use of words referring to the individual-government-state relationship (president, citizen) in positive contexts related to development and support. The first part of the analysis explains these issues based on quantitative SEO analysis. The second part presents the results of surveys conducted among high school and university students regarding their attitudes toward and knowledge of state symbols. In the case of young statehoods, such as Kazakhstan, which has existed independently since 1991, one can observe the process of identity formation in statu nascendi, and the awareness and attitudes of the young generation testify to the effectiveness of the state’s identity policy and the creation of a linguistic image of statehood as a force unifying the multinational society.