RESEARCH OF THE IMAGE OF WOMEN IN KAZAKH SOCIETY: BASED ON FOLKLORE MATERIALS

Abstract

Kazakh folklore reflects the historical memory and cultural values of the people. This article provides a comprehensive overview of female image’s historiography in Kazakh folklore. The research systematizes scholarly works ranging from the first ethnographic studies of the 19th century to the ideologically influenced Soviet-era research, as well as gender-focused approaches that emerged during the years of independence. The female image in folklore analyzed within ethnographic, symbolic, and gender contexts, with an examination of the methods and theoretical approaches employed by researchers up to the present day. The article integrates comparative-historical, feminist, and cultural studies approaches to offer a scholarly interpretation of the female figure in folklore. The findings reveal the complexity of the woman’s role in Kazakh society and the multifaceted nature of her representation in folklore. The analysis clearly traces such characteristics of female figures as wisdom, heroism, insightfulness, and mentorship; also, it determines their place in the Kazakh worldview. The article systematizes the ways in which folklore materials depict the social status and moral-ethical qualities of female characters. This study serves as an important scholarly foundation for understanding the gender culture of Kazakh society.