The relocation of the capital as an instrument of the nation-building policy and migration dynamics of the Astana population

In this article, based on various sources, including the works of foreign and domestic authors, the authors try to identify the main reasons, connected with nation-building policies, for the relocation of the capital of Kazakhstan from Almaty to Astana and analyze how the dynamics of migration contributes to its implementation. One of the main reasons for the capital transfer was an attempt to change the demographic situation, removing the overpressure from the south of the country and re-directing the migration vector to the north in order to increase the number of Kazakh population. Another reason was seen in the further growth of the city, whose development in perspective would be one of the achievements of the multinational independent state and one of the symbols of its success and national pride. The idea of the transfer and construction of the new capital, in the authors' view, was to create symbols fundamentally different from those of the Soviet epoch, symbols that would personify the progress of the state, thereby legitimizing its government. The transition from the initial idea of the formation of the mono-ethnic "Kazakh" nation to the multinational "Kazakhstan" nation was reflected in the adoption of the nation-building documents: from the Declaration of State Sovereignty of 25 October 1990 to the adoption of the current version of the Constitution of 30 August 1995. One of the directions of this approach was to transfer the capital to the region, where the Kazakh nation did not prevail. It is the active dynamics of migration processes that led to significant changes in the demographic situation of Astana and the surrounding areas. Since independence, there have been significant changes on the demographic map of Kazakhstan. The regions with Kazakh population have grown, and the ratio of Russian and Kazakh population has changed. In Astana, Akmola, Karaganda, Pavlodar and East Kazakhstan regions Kazakh population has become dominant. In North Kazakhstan and Kostanay regions, the share of Russian population has remained dominant, but the existing difference has decreased markedly. The anthropological image of the capital has changed as well. Its architectural image combines the features of western and eastern culture, becoming a bridge between them. At the same time, by moving the capital from Almaty, which was the main administrative center in the Soviet era, the government clearly demonstrated its desire to create a city that would become a symbol of a new independent state. This explains the changes that occurred in it after the relocation; for example, the rapid process of renaming streets in 1997-1999. Astana, offering new opportunities, including for personal growth, has become the most attractive migration lighthouse in the country and is gradually becoming one of the national symbols of achievements of the Independent Kazakhstan and an important element of nation-building.

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