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CONTEMPORARY KAZAKH AND KYRGYZ LITERARY NARRATIVES: THE UTILITARIAN FUNCTION OF ETHNO-FOLKLORIC PLOTS
Abstract
This article examines the utilitarian function, cultural-historical continuity of ethno-folkloric plots in contemporary Kazakh and Kyrgyz stories. The semantic core of these ethno-plots, deliberately employed by the authors, originates in ritual practices that played a decisive role in ancient communities’ life, including religious motifs, mythological consciousness, magical-ritual actions. Such traditions once performed an essential spiritual function in shaping the worldview of early societies. Today, they contribute to the cultural foundations of a society grounded in national values. The study aims to identify both shared, distinctive features of ethno-folkloric plots in Kazakh and Kyrgyz prose and to examine their transformation within contemporary national consciousness, acquiring new semantic layers.
The analysis demonstrates that magical motifs such as curse, sorcery, deliverance from an evil spirit in Kazakh writers' stories—“Boytumar” by Lira Konys, “Kargys”, “Kyzyl Saka” by Esbolat Aidabosyn—undergo functional transformation within the narrative structure. By contrast, archetypal sacred motifs—such as attending a funeral, the forty-day funeral repast, and the ancestral guardian spirit (aruaq)—preserve their traditional configuration in the works of Kyrgyz writers, including Sultan Raev’s Sultan Raev’s “Tuman”, Argen Mazhitov’s “Omirden otsem suyegimdi kim koyady?!”, and Nurzhigit Kadyrbekov’s “Kalpak syry.” Rather than undergoing semantic change, these motifs shift toward a poetic dominant that reinforces the authors’ conceptual intentions.
Keywords
Supporting Institution
Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Project Number
BR31715839
Ethical Statement
The authors declare that the research was conducted in accordance with ethical standards during its planning, implementation, and reporting. No special ethical committee approval was required for this study.
Thanks
This research is funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant No. BR31715839, «Fundamental Research in Literary and Art Studies: Academic Continuity and New Paradigms»).
References
- Aidabosyn, E. (2017). Qyzyl saqa [Red Saqa (or Red Shooter)]. Almaty: Tolganai T.
- Aidabosyn, E. (2018, June 22). Curse https://qazaqadebieti.kz/15122/ar-ys
- Archaeological Perspectives on Burial Practices and Societal Change: Death in Transition. (2024). London: Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group).
- Dauletkeldiuly, N. (2023). Qazaq folklorynyn tabigaty [The Essence of Kazakh Folklore]. Almaty: Balausa.
- Engelking, A. (2017). The Curse: On Folk Magic of the Word. Polish: Institute of Slavic Studies.
- Kaskabasov, S. (1990). Kazahskaja neskazochnaja proza [Kazakh non-fabulous prose]. Almaty: Nauka.
- Kaskabasov, S. (2014). Tandamaly [Selected]. Astana: Foliant.
- Konyratbayev, A. (1987). Qazaq eposy jane turkologija [Kazakh Epic and Turkology]. Almaty: Gylym, 1987.
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Modern Turkic Languages and Literatures (Other)
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
June 16, 2026
Submission Date
March 30, 2026
Acceptance Date
June 8, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Number: 126
APA
Akhmetova, A., & Akhmetova, G. (2026). CONTEMPORARY KAZAKH AND KYRGYZ LITERARY NARRATIVES: THE UTILITARIAN FUNCTION OF ETHNO-FOLKLORIC PLOTS. Türkoloji, 126, 95-116. https://doi.org/10.59358/ayt.1919447
AMA
1.Akhmetova A, Akhmetova G. CONTEMPORARY KAZAKH AND KYRGYZ LITERARY NARRATIVES: THE UTILITARIAN FUNCTION OF ETHNO-FOLKLORIC PLOTS. Türkoloji. 2026;(126):95-116. doi:10.59358/ayt.1919447
Chicago
Akhmetova, Ainur, and Gulnar Akhmetova. 2026. “CONTEMPORARY KAZAKH AND KYRGYZ LITERARY NARRATIVES: THE UTILITARIAN FUNCTION OF ETHNO-FOLKLORIC PLOTS”. Türkoloji, nos. 126: 95-116. https://doi.org/10.59358/ayt.1919447.
EndNote
Akhmetova A, Akhmetova G (June 1, 2026) CONTEMPORARY KAZAKH AND KYRGYZ LITERARY NARRATIVES: THE UTILITARIAN FUNCTION OF ETHNO-FOLKLORIC PLOTS. Türkoloji 126 95–116.
IEEE
[1]A. Akhmetova and G. Akhmetova, “CONTEMPORARY KAZAKH AND KYRGYZ LITERARY NARRATIVES: THE UTILITARIAN FUNCTION OF ETHNO-FOLKLORIC PLOTS”, Türkoloji, no. 126, pp. 95–116, June 2026, doi: 10.59358/ayt.1919447.
ISNAD
Akhmetova, Ainur - Akhmetova, Gulnar. “CONTEMPORARY KAZAKH AND KYRGYZ LITERARY NARRATIVES: THE UTILITARIAN FUNCTION OF ETHNO-FOLKLORIC PLOTS”. Türkoloji. 126 (June 1, 2026): 95-116. https://doi.org/10.59358/ayt.1919447.
JAMA
1.Akhmetova A, Akhmetova G. CONTEMPORARY KAZAKH AND KYRGYZ LITERARY NARRATIVES: THE UTILITARIAN FUNCTION OF ETHNO-FOLKLORIC PLOTS. Türkoloji. 2026;:95–116.
MLA
Akhmetova, Ainur, and Gulnar Akhmetova. “CONTEMPORARY KAZAKH AND KYRGYZ LITERARY NARRATIVES: THE UTILITARIAN FUNCTION OF ETHNO-FOLKLORIC PLOTS”. Türkoloji, no. 126, June 2026, pp. 95-116, doi:10.59358/ayt.1919447.
Vancouver
1.Ainur Akhmetova, Gulnar Akhmetova. CONTEMPORARY KAZAKH AND KYRGYZ LITERARY NARRATIVES: THE UTILITARIAN FUNCTION OF ETHNO-FOLKLORIC PLOTS. Türkoloji. 2026 Jun. 1;(126):95-116. doi:10.59358/ayt.1919447