Kazakhstan Women in the Great Patriotic War: to the Problem of Historiography

Abstract

In the world wars of the XXth century, especially in the Second World War, an unprecedented number of women took part. During the war years, Soviet women, including women of Kazakhstan, under the influence of the impending threat, turned into a strong part of society, able to endure all the hardships of wartime on their shoulders.
The article examines the problems of Soviet and post-Soviet historiography about the role of women in Kazakhstan during the Great Patriotic War. The specifics of Soviet and post-Soviet studies are shown. It is noted that, despite the growing interest of researchers to this topic in recent years, the history of women’s participation in the Great Patriotic War in general remains not sufficiently disclosed.
It is assumed that the use of gender approach will allow to adequately assess many socio-cultural, economic and political problems of war and its consequences