From Colonial Past to Colonial Future? : A Case Study of the Belt and Road Initiative in Kazakhstan

Abstract: Since its independence almost three decades ago, the nation-state of Kazakhstan has been nestled in a search for identity and unity. Located in a geographically strategic location between two of the world's most significant actors, and with a colonial history to one of them —the Soviet Union— the country's strive for identity in a self-determined world continues. Surrounding the influx of Chinese investments coming with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, the country now sees the national political space drifting in a different direction. By looking at identity building and researching contemporary scholarly articles, and with aid from the methodology of a case study. This thesis aims to utilise postcolonial theory to analyse how and if Chinese investments through the BRI are the beginning of a new neocolonial in post-independent Kazakhstan and if the previously colonised country's identity, or lack thereof, is a leading factor in being more susceptible to Chinese influence in the twenty-first century. To conclude, this work presents new research on how the Kazakh nation responds to Chinese BRI and determines that a lack of national identity due to previous colonisation can increase susceptibility to new actors' influence later down the road.