Nation Branding: An Instrument of Soft Power or Nation-Building? The Case of Kazakhstan
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Date
2020-05-03
Authors
Ramankulova, Leila
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Nazarbayev University School of Sciences and Humanities
Abstract
Nation branding is a process by which countries seek to create an attractive image and
manipulate its external perception. The process of branding a nation involves a broad array of
activities from an advertisement on TV and journals to much more extensive public diplomacy
initiatives. In effect, since it deals with international positioning and perception of a state,
nation branding is often referred to as an effective soft power building tool. At the same time,
however, nation is a complex political and social construct that can hardly be branded as a
usual commercial product. Indeed, nation branding is inherently intertwined with the political
discourses within the state, and in the case of Kazakhstan, the enthusiastically implemented
branding initiatives took place in the backdrop of the post-Soviet nation-building efforts of the
government.
In this thesis, I have critically examined Kazakhstan’s nation branding efforts mainly
controlled and implemented by the government. This has been done by analyzing the content
of the official documents as well as interviewing civil servants, experts, and individuals that
have been directly engaged in the branding processes. In doing so, I argue that nation branding
in the context of Kazakhstan serves as both a soft power-enhancing and nation-building tool of
the state. By depicting Kazakhstan as a progressively developing, forward-looking and
peaceful country with a rich history, the state elites seek to position the country as a legitimate
international player. But also, such an image is fully consistent with the internal state narrative
on nation-building thus allowing the state elites to reproduce and consolidate their vision of
the nation and path of its development.
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Keywords
Research Subject Categories::HUMANITIES and RELIGION
Citation
Ramankulova, L. (2020). Nation Branding: An Instrument of Soft Power or Nation-Building? The Case of Kazakhstan (Master’s thesis, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan). Retrieved from https://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/4683