Nation building in Kazakhstan under conditions of authoritarianism: the path to ethnocracy?

The article considers the process of nation building in the Republic of Kazakhstan, shows some tools for the formation of collective identities and identifies the greatest difficulties in the nation-building policy pursued by the ruling elite. The author pays particular attention to the dilemma of the relationship between the Kazakh (ethnic) and Kazakhstani (civilian) nation. Based on the results of the study, the author concludes about the risk of establishing an ethnocracy, due to the authoritarian nature of the political structure of the country.