RELIGIOSITY IN KAZAKHSTAN: VALUES AND MEANINGS

Abstract

This paper's goal is to examine Kazakh religiosity through a comparative analysis of Turkic religiosity, as the two cultures are closely related in terms of origin, history, language, and religion. Based on an empirical description of representative data collected in both countries in 2018 by the World Values Survey, the analysis of religiosity has been carried out. The paper's subject is defined through considering religion as a value and pointing out the similarities and differences between the meanings and ideas of religion in Kazakh and Turkish. A typological classification of the two groups as believers is attempted, based on empirical analysis; the Turks are categorized as practicing Muslims, while the Kazakhs remain classified as nominal or non-practicing Muslims. This essay also illustrates the key variables shaping Kazakhstan's religious environment, including radical Islamism, the view that "failed" modernization is to blame for the growth in religiosity, and religious rebirth as a part of national revival process.