Uncertainty of tendencies of social changes, equiprobability of realization of alternative models of social development with a special force and evidence are shown during the periods of the sweeping and prompt changes, involved in which there was also our country. Rough rates of scientific and technological progress, formation of planetary communicative and information and financial and economic networks, exit of political institutes, labor markets, standard and valuable systems of social interactions for a framework of the national states are reflected in life of the countries and the people, mention fundamental bases of social and personal life of people, considerably change shape of a civilization. Deeply inconsistent processes of transformation of social reality include opposite directed, and on a number of positions – and mutually exclusive tendencies: globally interdependent and interconnected world at the same time is shaken on lines of geopolitical, religious and ethnic oppositions. The changes happening on space of the former USSR in recent years represent a serious civilization call for all Post-Soviet republics, including, and for Kazakhstan.
Valuable reference points and development models become a competition subject between the countries, getting civilization measurement. In conditions when under the flag of fight against new calls and threats creation attempts “the unipolar world” proceed, there is an imposing to other countries of the political systems and development models – when ignoring historical, cultural, religious and other features of development of other world, before the new states sharply there is a problem of determination of the cultural and civilization identity which isn’t repeating modern globalist sky recipes. The situation becomes complicated that it occurs against fight against the international terrorism which demands extensive dialogue between cultures, faiths and civilizations, their counteractions to extremism in own environment. Movement to a uniform civilization a categorical imperative of the global world. But gradually and steadily understanding of comes that cultural and civilization values – not books which transfer from the shelf on the shelf, and fuel which has to burn down in a hearth of unique cultural and civilization complexes and to become energy of their organic dynamics. Real dilemma: mutation and leaving on a history country churchyard, or transformation – as creative development of world experience on a basis and in a context of domestic sociocultural values and traditions. At universal recognition of fundamental value of democracy and the market as bases of a social system and economic life, their realization accepts various forms – depending on history, national features and level of social and economic development of the states. The group of scientists of Institute of philosophy and political science was guided by such methodological installations, starting research of the difficult and multidimensional cultural and civilization processes happening in modern Kazakhstan. The research project “Cultural and civilization processes in modern Kazakhstan: the philosophical and politological analysis” (2009-2011) is included into the program of basic researches “The Kazakhstan way of development in the global world: philosophical and world outlook and socio-political problems”. In the presented project the teoretiko-methodological and sociocultural bases of civilization development of Kazakhstan reveal, axiological aspects of globalization process – in a context of a ratio of “the” and “others” cultural values are analyzed, complex research of factors of the cultural dynamics defining civilization development of the country is conducted. First of all, the categorial device of research demanded specification [1].
Having analysed the concepts “civilization” and “culture” in the history of philosophy and in the modern social theory, researchers developed conceptual and methodological models and research strategy of the analysis of cultural and civilization development of Kazakhstan. Conceptual models of cultural and civilization development of Kazakhstan has to be under construction, according to researchers, on the basis of the analysis of a polycentric network of social interactions and hierarchically organized system of their institutionalizing. As specifics of the sociocultural sphere of society consists that schemes of its judgment are the integrated part of the culture and the mechanism of its transformations, conceptual models of processes and structures of cultural and civilization development have to include themselves in subject domain of research.
Today, Kazakhstan shares borders with Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Its geographical position in the heart of Eurasia makes it vulnerable to importing foreign ideas from ISIS and other extremist groups. Kazakhstan is one country in the former Soviet Union that has not experienced internal war since 1991. Kazakhstan regards the situation in Ukraine not as an example of renewed Russian imperialism, but rather as an example of inter-ethnic and inter-linguistic confrontation between peoples in the former-Soviet space. As a Tajik migrant worker in the bazaar explained to me, “In Ukraine, there are just two nationalities – Ukrainians and Russians – and look at them fight. In Kazakhstan, we have over 120 nationalities – Kazakh, Russians, Dungans, Koreans, Uighurs –imagine if a conflict were to break out here!” Nazarbayev is largely credited with ensuring Kazakhstan’s national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of its borders.
During the Soviet era, the Communist Party was the state, and the state was the Communist Party. Today, there are nine registered political parties in Kazakhstan, the largest of which is Nur Otan. Nur Otan holds 83 out of the 98 directly elected seats in the lower house of Parliament. The Nur Otan Party counts 850,000 dues-paying members and maintains offices in all 16 of Kazakhstan’s administrative divisions, as well as 241 local offices. By law, Nazarbayev is the Chairman of Nur Otan. Many Nur Otan offices are located in government buildings, and the Nur Otan platform constitutes the agenda for future reforms. Nur Otan’s dominant position in Kazakhstani politics reinforces the notion of the indivisibility between the party and the state. In this respect, to many Kazakhstanis, Nur Otan can be viewed as a contemporary iteration of the Communist Party [2]. A system with weak political parties is not a phenomenon unique to Kazakhstan; they exist throughout the former Soviet Union. Parties do not aggregate voters into groups and articulate a specific policy agenda based on constituent demands. Rather, parties are tools for elites to mobilize support for an individual charismatic leader. In Russia, for example, the “United Russia party” exists to sustain support for President Vladimir Putin, despite the fact that the Russian president is not formally a member.
Yet, in Kazakhstan, there are distinct groups with concentrated political interests. Ak Zhol is known as the “business party.” The Communist Party advocates for more socialist reforms and appeals to older members of the population. The Birlik, or “unity” party, advocates for social reforms. The Auyl Party is a social-democratic party that represents the rural, agrarian population and has its stronghold in the Southeastern regions. These parties suffer from insufficient financing and institutional disorganization. That said, there is little disagreement between the parties in areas of major policy considerations. Slowly, political parties are forming, and becoming more dynamic. When I spoke with Kusainov’s campaign team, they presented themselves as a green party that sought to implement ecological education programs in school curriculums and introduce incentives for businesses and individuals to adapt an environmentally conscious way of life. They acknowledged that Kusainov would likely lose, but asserted that the elections were an opportunity to present their ideas. They hoped that “if people vote for us, and our ideas, then in the new term, we can implement these reforms” [3].
While still conservative, Kazakhstan’s political culture and party politics structure are maturing, thanks in large part to the demographic of the new governing elite. Previously head of the Bolashak Association – the government program that finances graduate studies overseas, Nurbek observed that Kazakhstani graduates of Western institutions bring back not only knowledge, but more importantly, values. These values include a preference for meritocracy and a rejection of nepotism, Western corporate culture, respect for intellectual property, and social capital. Kazakhstanis who are not able to study overseas can acquire a Western-style education at KIMEP in Almaty, or at Nazarbayev University in Astana. While these young, Western-educated Kazakhstanis are employed, they have not yet formed the “critical mass” in government and business that is substantial enough to generate comprehensive, institutional reform. But this is a matter of time; change is happening. According to the results of the “World Values Survey,” which Nurbek personally helped to carry out in Kazakhstan, 75 percent of respondents indicated health as their number one priority, followed by family, security, welfare, and relationships. This change is a reflection of Kazakhstanis’ global engagement.
Reforminga political system and culture is alaboriousendeavorthatmust confront the inertia of path-dependent social norms, behavioral pathologies, and interest groups. There is a generational divide between aging Soviet- era bureaucrats and their young, Western-educated counterparts. There are also regional divisions, as one-third of Kazakhstan’s workforce is employed in agriculture. Rural populations are among the most conservative in their ideology and their remote location is an obstacle to engagement. Because many Bolashak alumni work in Almaty or Astana, ensuring an inclusive growth model that includes rural populations is among the major challenges confronting Kazakhstan.
REFERENCES
- Inglehart, Ronald; Baker, Wayne // Modernization, Cultural change, and the persistence of traditional values. – 2000. – N 65(1). – P.21.
- Daly, John C.K. Kazakhstan’s Emerging Middle Class // Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program. - 2008. - 74.
- Скворцов О.Г., Скворцова Е.О. Цивилизационные вызовы XXI века: от конфликта сознаний к диалогу культур//Известия КазУМОиМЯ имени Абылай хана. Серия «Международное Отношения и Регионоведения». - №1-2(11-12). – – С.8- 10.