*ШӘКӘРІМ ПОЭЗИЯСЫНДАҒЫ «ОЯН» МОТИВІ

Abstract

This article examines the poetry of the philosopher-poet Shakarim Qudaiberdyuly, a leading disciple of Abai’s poetic school and a prominent figure in Kazakh literary history. The study offers a comprehensive analysis of the poetic and ideological nature of the motif of «awakening» in Shakarim’s poetry within the framework of contemporary postcolonial literary theory. Although the poet’s works have been consistently studied since his official rehabilitation in the national literary canon, issues of spiritual dependency, colonized consciousness, inner awakening and freedom of thought in his poetry still require focused examination from a postcolonial theoretical perspective.

The aim of the study is to conceptualize the motif of «awakening» in Shakarim’s poetry not merely as an educational or moral exhortation, but as an aesthetic and epistemological concept aimed at revitalizing national consciousness shaped under colonial conditions. To achieve this goal, the poet’s didactic-philosophical poems and his reflections on science and ignorance, humanity, responsibility and the relationship between knowledge and power are analyzed through close reading of poetic texts.

The article employs textual-hermeneutic, poetic-structural, semantic and conceptual methods of analysis to reveal the functions of the awakening motif in shaping the lyrical subject, organizing poetic address, providing ethical orientation and stimulating national consciousness. In addition, a comparative-typological approach is used to demonstrate the position and distinctive features of the idea of awakening in Shakarim’s poetry within the Kazakh Enlightenment tradition.

The findings substantiate Shakarim’s oeuvre as an artistic form of spiritual decolonization in the context of postcolonial literary theory. The motif of awakening is interpreted as a discourse of inner resistance aimed primarily at overcoming mental dependency rather than merely opposing external colonial domination.

By refusing to perceive science as an absolute good and instead conceptualizing it as a force dependent on human intention, Shakarim emerges as a thinker who critically assessed the relationship between knowledge and power.

The article contributes to the re-evaluation of Shakarim’s poetry within contemporary postcolonial studies, revealing its artistic and philosophical potential from a new theoretical perspective. The results enrich the methodological foundations of Shakarim studies in Kazakh literary scholarship and facilitate the integration of the poet’s legacy into the broader landscape of modern humanities.