POSTCOLONIAL ECOLOGICAL CONSCIOUSNESS IN A. NURPEISOV'S NOVEL «FINAL RESPECTS»

Abstract

This article examines postcolonial ecological consciousness in Abdijamil Nurpeisov’s novel Final Respects (Songy Paryz), an early Kazakh literary response to the Aral Sea environmental crisis and Soviet development policy. Drawing on ecological imperialism and postcolonial ecocriticism, the study applies textual and hermeneutic analysis to the novel’s representation of human–nature relations, environmental transformation, and colonial legacies. It argues that ecological imperialism shaped Soviet governance in the Aral Sea region, where an anthropocentric approach subordinated nature to economic and political objectives. Nurpeisov portrays humans, animals, and the natural environment as interconnected parts of a shared ecological world. The exploitation of natural resources therefore produces not only environmental destruction but also social, cultural, and spiritual crises within local communities. By combining postcolonial and ecological perspectives, the article demonstrates how the novel critiques Soviet modernization, exposes the broader consequences of colonial environmental governance, and contributes to the development of ecological consciousness in Kazakh literature.