PROBLEMS OF RESEARCH OF SOCIAL CONCEPTS AND CATEGORIES IN TRADITIONAL KAZAKH SOCIETY

Abstract

This article examines the study and significance of social concepts and categories that reflect the distinctive features of the social structure in Kazakh society and the nature of its social relations. Special emphasis is placed on social concepts such as sauyn, sauga, amanat, zhylu, and kyzyl koteru, and others, which illuminate the social organization of traditional Kazakh society, the activities of its social groups, and their interrelations.

The methodological framework for this study employs comparative historical research methods and draws upon Émile Durkheim's sociological theories to analyze social relations. The article also presents innovative conclusions regarding the ethno- and socio-cultural characteristics of Kazakh society's social organization, as well as the civilizational features unique to its development. Some of these social concepts, which reveal the specific nature of social relations in traditional Kazakh society, were previously analyzed in Soviet historiography within the framework of "nomadic feudalism," where they were interpreted as mechanisms of exploitation by the "ruling class" over the "oppressed people." Other concepts were merely noted as traditions. The study addresses this issue by utilizing data from oral literature and historiographical analysis of recent research. As a result, it is concluded that individuals and social groups in traditional Kazakh society adhered to communal norms when entering into social relations, with each individual functioning as an integral part of society and being interdependent on others in accordance with shared interests. From this perspective, the concepts that reveal the character of social relations in traditional Kazakh society were not formed with the aim of gaining economic benefits for a specific class or group. Rather, they manifested as social support and a guarantee of personal well-being for the common good of the nomadic community (clan). These concepts demonstrate that the mechanisms of social relations were implemented based on the established moral and ethical principles in society.