*THE WORKS OF M. ZHUMABAYEV IN THE DECOLONIAL DISCOURSE

*THE WORKS OF M. ZHUMABAYEV IN THE DECOLONIAL DISCOURSE

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55808/1999-4214.2026-2.23

Keywords:

Magzhan Zhumabayev, Alash, literary translation, decolonization, discourse, subaltern

Abstract

One of the prominent figures of the Alash movement, poet, and voice of national spirit, Magzhan Zhumabayev, devoted a significant part of his creative legacy to literary translation. This article analyzes M. Zhumabayev’s artistic translations, which reflect the fate of the oppressed Kazakh people, as well as his journalistic publications and literary studies, through the lens of decolonization theory. Special attention is paid to manifestations of colonial dominance, the inner resistance of the colonized subject, differences in worldview, and the relationship between the “self” and the “other,” which together reveal new semantic layers within the text. The study also examines V. Ivanov’s short story “The Encounter” in correlation with Gayatri Spivak’s subaltern theory, which influenced the development of postcolonial and feminist thought in philosophy, cultural studies, and literary theory.

When identifying the main principles and positions of the translator, it is essential to take into account the historical context, as well as the socio-cultural and ideological conditions of the period. If the author of the original wrote within the framework of Soviet ideology, while the translator belonged to the Alash-oriented literature, the emergence of new interpretative nuances in the translation becomes a natural phenomenon. In this case, the difference in the worldview orientations of the author and the translator significantly influenced the content and meaning structure of the text. Therefore, researchers seeking to determine the stylistic and ideological features of the translation consider it not only from linguistic or literary perspectives, but also through psychological, social, and ideological dimensions. Such a comprehensive approach makes it possible to reveal the translator’s creative individuality, his national outlook, and his mastery in harmonizing personal convictions with the historical demands of the time.

Author's detail

Soltanayeva Yerkingul Molotovna, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

Senior lecturer of the Department of Kazakh literature and theory of literature, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

Omirkhan Abdimanuly , Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

– doktor of Philological Sciences, Professor 

Shokan Shortanbay , Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

– Senior lecturer

Downloads

Published online

2026-06-30

Issue

Section

Literature studies
Loading...