Abstract

The establishment of a just society has been a central theme in the public consciousness throughout various eras of Kazakhstan's history. This paper will analyze perceptions of justice and the establishment of a just society during Kazakhstan's incorporation into the Russian Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Our approach to questions of justice during this period in Kazakhstan's history is unique in that it is closely linked to the formation of the Kazakh nation and nation-building during this period. The article reveals that the establishment of a relationship of cooperation and mutual spiritual enrichment between Abai and the leaders of the Kazakh national movement "Alash" was most instrumental in the socio-cultural and national development of the Kazakh people during the period of colonial modernization. Beginning in the late 1880s, and especially in 1891, Abai began to reject the idea that society could be changed and justice established through violence, revolutions, and coups. Instead, Abai came to believe that changes in society could only be achieved in a state of peace, based on the religious and moral education of individuals. The leaders of Alash understood that for socio-cultural development and the achievement of political and legal justice in Kazakh society, there was no other path than the development of a national consciousness among Kazakhs. Only by becoming a nation and creating their own national state could the Kazakhs establish a just society.

Keywords: justice, Kazakh nation, Abai, Alash movement, national consciousness