The Concept Of Karakalpak Youth And The Historical, Social, And Spiritual Foundations Of Its Formation

Abstract

The notion of “Karakalpak youth” is not only a demographic label for people aged 14–30 living in the Republic of Karakalpakstan; it is a cultural, historical and axiological construct formed at the crossroads of the Aral Sea civilization, steppe and Khorezm traditions, Soviet nationality policy and contemporary Uzbek state youth policy. According to Uzbek legislation, Karakalpakstan has the right to implement its own youth policy within the national framework, which allows the region to reflect its specific linguistic, ecological and cultural context in programs for young people. At the same time, the ethnogenesis of the Karakalpaks, which combined Oghuz, Kipchak, Khorezmian and later Kazakh components, created a multi-layered identity in which loyalty to the land of the Lower Amu Darya, Islamic spirituality, epic oral tradition and a sense of historical vulnerability in the Aral Sea zone were central. The article analyses how these historical, social and spiritual factors shaped the value system, social roles and civic orientations of Karakalpak youth in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. It is argued that the current generation of young Karakalpaks is simultaneously the bearer of a rich nomadic-sedentary cultural heritage and the main resource for overcoming ecological, economic and demographic challenges in the region. The study concludes that strengthening spiritual continuity, improving youth participation mechanisms and expanding culturally competent education in Karakalpak and Uzbek languages are essential for sustaining this identity.