FANS, FEELINGS, AND FIGHTING BACK: MIRJAKYP’S POSTCOLONIAL NARRATIVE

Abstract

“Awaken, Kazakh!” could have a literal meaning to wake up but the other meaning connects to a more profound implication as Mirjakyp intended: “awaken your mind from darkness and ignorance.” Starting from 2022 when the series about Mirjakyp Dulatov was produced social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok were filled with discussions about how good the TV series was, people were making fan videos by cutting out scenes from series and even building a fan club of the actor who played the role of Mirjakyp. Shortly after its release the series became the main mainstream of the year, which further initiated its adaptation into a film that was broadcast in a cinema across the country. Back in 2022 when I saw these fan-made videos and positive comments all over the TikTok community, I questioned the uniqueness or highlight of the series and when even my roommate was into the series, I realized that there must be something that catches the whole Kazakh audience. As a part of the Kazakh community, I knew that they can be very critical of domestic Kazakhstani media products, but in that case, there were mostly positive responses, which made me wonder “what people are saying?” Further it developed into an idea and aim conducting a project to analyze how historical TV series about the life of Mirjakyp Dulatuly Mirjakyp, Awaken Kazakh! affected the audience members and how audiences/fans perceived the series, its ideas, and in what way the series did affect the audience...