A Discourse Analysis of State Approaches to Religious Diversity in Multi-Ethnic Societies

The study aimed to provide a discursive analysis of state approaches to religious diversity in the multi-ethnic society of the Republic of Kazakhstan. To achieve this goal, a contextual analysis of the religious diversity of the Republic of Kazakhstan was conducted using statistical data from the reports of the Embassy and Consulate in Kazakhstan, the Committee on Religious Affairs (CRA) of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan and other sources. A critical discourse analysis was also conducted using the model of five articles taken from the National Spiritual and Educational Portal. The study determined that even though Article 22 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan defines the country as a secular state, there is a substantial correlation between politics and religion, modelled by the different religious discourses applied to different religious movements and spiritual teachings in the country. The study demonstrated that religions defined as “traditional” receive more media coverage than religions considered “non-traditional”. The state policy on religious diversity in a multi-ethnic society is also manifested in the list of religious organisations that have or do not have the right to operate in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which is enshrined in legislation. The formation of a progressive religious discourse can promote tolerance of different beliefs and religious diversity in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan.