Publication Date: March 3, 2026

Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Science Committee

Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies

Information Letter

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to participate in the international scientific and practical conference of the Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the topic: "Communicative Practices of Ethnic Groups in Southern Kazakhstan: Challenges and Prospects", which will be held on September 9, 2026. The conference will be held both offline and online via the Zoom platform.

Venue: 29 Kurmangazy St., 3rd floor, Almaty. Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies of the SC MSHE RK, Conference Hall. Registration: 09:30 – 10:00. Conference sessions: 10:00 – 17:00. Working languages of the conference: Kazakh, Russian, English.

The objective of the international conference is to discuss the most pressing ethnopolitical and ethnosocial issues related to the formation of an all-Kazakhstani identity and the strengthening of the unity of the people of Kazakhstan. The conference is initiated as part of the implementation of the research project "Monitoring of Interethnic Relations in the Southern Regions of Kazakhstan" (2024-2026), which studies the issues of interethnic interactions and managerial technologies of local administrative bodies in areas of compact and mixed settlement of ethnic groups in Southern Kazakhstan. This issue is explored within the broader context of the further implementation of state ethnopolicy, problems of ethnic and civic identification in the process of studying and introducing the experience of nation-building, and the formation of national identity in Kazakhstan and around the world.

The study of the socio-economic, political, ethnocultural, and religious strategies of ethnic groups in Southern Kazakhstan is aimed at identifying the zones and factors of the highest interethnic tension and the ways for their most effective neutralization in the context of improving state ethnopolicy at the local level. In this regard, the issues of theoretical analysis of the possibilities and limits of the practical application of domestic and foreign experience in the formation of a civic nation in Kazakhstan and the world are being actualized. The reports and discussions of the conference will focus on the approbation of the research results of Kazakhstani and foreign scholars studying this topic.

Main directions of the International Scientific Conference:

·                      domestic and global experience in researching interethnic and intergroup relations in the context of state objectives for the development and strengthening of the political ideology of unity and harmony of the people of Kazakhstan;

·                      factors of integration/disintegration of ethnic groups in the southern region of the country that influence the formation of a national identity;

·                      trends in income inequality among the population of the country's southern regions in correlation with changes in the level of ethnic fractionalization in the near future;

·                      discriminatory media and communicative practices in global and Kazakhstani mass media and social networks.

The reports and discussions of the plenary and daytime sessions of the International Scientific and Practical Conference will be dedicated to the discussion and approbation of research results on these issues. Scientific discussions within these areas will contribute to the development of practical solutions and recommendations for the implementation of state ethnopolicy.

Following the forum, it is planned to publish a collection of scientific papers (conference proceedings). To include materials in the collection, the topic and text of the article must be sent to the email address of the executive editor of the conference proceedings, Mukhtarbek Shaikemelev, at mukash2424@gmail.com by July 1, 2026.

Paper Formatting Requirements: Font: Times New Roman, line spacing: 1 (single), font size: 14. Full name (First, Patronymic, Last), indicating the place of work, position, degree, academic title, and author's email. In-text citations should be provided in square brackets [7, p. 25]. Page margins: 2 cm on top, bottom, right, and left. A list of references should be placed at the end of the article. Paper length: from 6 to 12 pages. The use of automatic page referencing (auto-footnotes/endnotes) is not allowed. The Organizing Committee of the conference reserves the right to select the materials submitted for publication.

Organizing Committee: 050010, 29 Kurmangazy St., 3rd floor, Almaty, Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies of the SC MSHE RK. For all organizational questions, please write to e-mail: mukash2424@gmail.com. Coordinator: Mukhtarbek Shaikemelev.