LITERATURE AND IDEOLOGY: NATIONAL DISCOURSE IN THE WORKS OF ALASH AND MALADNYAK WRITERS

Abstract

This article examines the development of Kazakh and Belarusian literature in the first quarter of the twentieth century through a comparative analysis of the intellectual and literary legacies of the Alash movement and the Maladnyak literary association. The study explores how national consciousness, language, historical memory, cultural autonomy, and individual freedom were represented by Kazakh and Belarusian intellectuals operating within comparable socio-political contexts, while identifying similarities and differences in their relations with Soviet ideology. Methodologically, the research combines comparative literary, historical-contextual, typological, and interpretative analyses. Alash and Maladnyak are approached not only as national literary phenomena but also as intellectual formations shaped by the imperial and Soviet transformations of the early twentieth century. The findings show that both movements emphasized the preservation of native language and national culture, the reconstruction of historical consciousness, and the social role of literature. However, their relationship with political power differed significantly. Alash intellectuals associated national revival with autonomy and political self-determination, whereas early Maladnyak writers sought to develop Belarusian literature and language within the framework of Soviet cultural policy. The subsequent strengthening of ideological control increasingly restricted their creative autonomy, while several representatives became victims of political repression. The study contributes to comparative literary scholarship by placing Kazakh and Belarusian experiences of national literary revival within a shared analytical framework and conceptualizing literature as a space for constructing national identity, preserving cultural memory, and articulating intellectual responses to political pressure.