Date of Award

Spring 2026

Document Type

Thesis (Master's)

Department or Program

Master of Arts in Liberal Studies

First Advisor

Donald E. Pease

Second Advisor

David Rezvani

Third Advisor

Peter DeShazo

Abstract

This thesis examines the political myth surrounding the severed head of Kenesary Khan, the last khan of the Kazakh Khanate, and its significance in contemporary Kazakhstan. Focusing on historiographical debates, media narratives, and collective memory, the study analyzes how the unresolved fate of Kenesary Khan’s head functions as a symbolic site of post-colonial identity formation. Drawing on archival sources, scholarly literature, and cultural media, the research demonstrates that the myth operates as a tool for negotiating sovereignty, historical justice, and national memory in Kazakhstan’s nation-building process.

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