Transformation of the bori archetype in modern Kazakh prose

Abstract

In the context of globalization, psychoanalytic analysis of national ethno -cultural archetypes is becoming a relevant area of scientific research. This includes an appeal to the author’s concept and the collective unconscious in artistic creation, as well as the study of the problem of preserving national identity from the perspective of archetypal literary criticism. In the course of the study, a comparison was made between literary texts from Kazakh and world literature that contain totemic representations related to ethno-cultural archetypes, with the aim of identifying the transformation of the image of the bori (wolf) archetype through its correlation with totemic motifs of world mythology. For the theoretical foundation of the study, works by both domestic and foreign scholars dedicated to archetypes and totems were analyzed, in particular the totem of the bori, including its color, visual, and symbolic representations. The empirical base consisted of works of Kazakh prose from the Independence period, as well as classic texts of world literature. The image of the bori archetype is examined through the lens of archetypal literary criticism, relying on mythological and folklore texts, artistic works, as well as national beliefs and representations. The research reveals new academic insights by examining the re-emergence and reconstruction of the bori archetype in creative writing as a continuation of mythological traditions. Theoretical concepts from scholars such as C.G. Jung, P. Radin, E. Neumann, C. Vogler, and C. Estés formed the methodological foundation for comparing Kazakh folklore with global mythology. The images of the bori in the works of M. Magauin, Sh. Murtaza, A. Altay, as well as in foreign literature, were analyzed. The article employs methods of archetypal literary criticism and psychoanalytic interpretation to identify the reasons for the appeal to the bori archetype in the author’s concept. The bori archetype is presented as a totemic symbol embodying the archetypes of the soul, spirit, and Great Mother in Kazakh literature, as well as various types of archetypes in world literature. Special attention is given to its manifestations as a totem, a magical force, a chthonic being, and a trickster in ancient mythologies, highlighting their similarities and differences with contemporary artistic images. As a result, it is established that the wolf archetype functions in the culture of the nomadic Kazakh people as a stable “cultural canon” anchored in the collective unconscious.