Nation-Building and Youth Culture in Kazakhstan: The Case of ‘Q-pop’

As the post-Soviet generation comes of age, a new form of popular culture known as ‘Q-pop’ has emerged in Kazakhstan. Q-pop is characterized by the fusion of globalized pop music forms with nationalist content—embodying the principle of “globalization in form, nationalism in content.” This study argues that such a phenomenon stems from the nation-building strategies pursued by the Kazakhstani government. Through initiatives such as the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan, language and education policies, and the ‘Rukhani Zhangyru’ program, the government has sought to shape a new national identity. These policies initially echoed the Soviet-era framework of “internationalism with an ethnic face,” but have gradually evolved into a model in which nationalism and globalization are interwoven.