Memory Trauma and the Making of the New Human: Abai as Cultural Hero

Abstract

This paper explores how the legacy of Kazakh poet and thinker Abai Kunanbayuli (1845–1904) has been reframed through translation as part of Soviet and post-Soviet nation-building projects. Drawing on postcolonial theory, especially Gayatri Spivak’s concept of “epistemic violence” and Walter Mignolo’s “epistemic delinking,” the study examines how translations of Abai’s Book of Words have shaped ideological narratives about the “New Human.” Using a trilingual corpus – original Kazakh, Soviet-era Russian (1945), and post-Soviet English (2020) – the study combines corpus linguistics with close reading to reveal subtle but systematic shifts in meaning. Soviet translations emphasized rationalism and social critique, marginalizing spiritual or religious content to align Abai with the Soviet ideal of enlightenment and progress. Terms like “faith” (iman) were often replaced with “honesty,” and Islamic idioms were secularized or omitted. The result was a version of Abai as a proto-socialist intellectual, reinforcing Soviet cultural legitimacy. In contrast, post-independence translations restore suppressed content and prioritize fidelity to Abai’s cultural context. Religious terms, indigenous metaphors, and idiomatic expressions are retained and annotated, allowing Abai’s voice to resonate with contemporary Kazakh identity. The paper situates Abai alongside other postcolonial figures such as Tagore, Fanon, and Yupanqui, showing how translation mediates cultural memory. Ultimately, the study argues that translation is not neutral – it can either perpetuate colonial hierarchies or serve as a site of epistemic healing. By decolonizing Abai’s text, modern translations contribute to a more pluralistic, self-determined vision of the “new Kazakh human,” integrating spiritual heritage with global modernity.