Аңдатпа

This article analyses the theoretical and methodological foundations of research into cultural and national identity within the framework of the Birmingham School of Cultural Studies, and their applicability to contemporary socio-cultural processes. Particular attention is paid to the conceptual positions of Stuart Hall, as well as the ideas of Richard Hoggart and Edward P. Thompson, who view identity as a dynamic process shaped through cultural practices, linguistic representations and historical memory. The study conducts a comparative analysis of Western and Turkish research traditions, in which language, literature and media discourses act as key mechanisms in the formation of national self-awareness. A separate section is devoted to an analysis of the Kazakhstani context, where cultural identity is examined through the interplay of language policy, literary narrative and contemporary forms of media culture. Particular attention is paid to the role of the Kazakh language as a symbol of cultural continuity and national consolidation, as well as to the development of national cinema during the period 2020–2025, which is becoming an important tool for the visual representation of cultural memory. The findings of the study show that the formation of cultural identity is a multi-level process in which traditional cultural forms and contemporary media practices complement one another. It is concluded that a comparative approach is productive for analysing the processes of national identity formation in the context of globalisation.

Keywords: cultural identity, national identity, cultural studies, the Birmingham School, Stuart Hall, language and literature, cultural memory, media culture, cinema.