The history of the Kazakh-French cultural dialogue: a creative tour of the Kazakh masters of art in France in 1975

Abstract

The article is devoted to the history of cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Kazakhstan and France on the example of the participation of Kazakhstani artists in the Days of Culture of the USSR in France in 1975. Based on a previously unpublished archival document – the report of the Assistant to the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, V.V. Vladimirov – the article reveals the history of the tour of a creative delegation from Kazakhstan, the specific features of organizing cultural events, their public resonance, and their reception by French audiences. The information contained in the document allows us to consider the specifics of the Days of Culture as an instrument of cultural diplomacy of the Soviet period, as well as the representation of the national identity of the Union republics in the formation of a composite image of Soviet culture abroad. The publication introduces a new source into scientific circulation, equipped with an archeographic description and a scientific reference device, and contributes to the study of the history of international cultural relations, Soviet-French and Kazakh-French relations and cultural policy of the USSR in the second half of the twentieth century. The material actualizes the problems of transnational contacts, memory, heritage and intercultural dialogue.