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Research-Professor Laura Yerekesheva of the Oriental Faculty, 91��ý Kazakh National University, delivered a special expert lecture at the Institute for Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies. During the expert meeting, she presented a paper entitled “Nation-Building in India: Aspects of Intellectual History.”

The main objective of the event was to provide a comprehensive analysis of the concept of the nation from the perspective of intellectual history, to identify contemporary methodological approaches to the study of national identity, and to foster academic dialogue.

The meeting featured a substantive and interdisciplinary discussion, emphasizing the relevance of comparative approaches to the study of nation-building processes. Participants engaged in an in-depth exchange on various theoretical interpretations of the nation, the specific features of intellectual discourse in the Indian context, and current methodological frameworks for examining national identity.

The lecture examined key theoretical approaches to understanding the concept of the nation, as well as the formation of intellectual traditions associated with nationalism, Orientalism, and decolonial perspectives. Particular attention was given to the role of postcolonial and decolonial theories in interpreting intellectual discourse within the Indian context. In this regard, Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism, the Subaltern Studies approach associated with Partha Chatterjee, and broader decolonial critiques of colonial knowledge production were analyzed.

The speaker also addressed how Indian intellectual traditions conceptualize nationhood and decoloniality, highlighting their role in shaping modern national identity. It was emphasized that intellectual-historical and historiographical traditions function not only as reflective frameworks but also as constitutive forces in nation-building processes.

Thus, nation-building was presented not merely as a political or social phenomenon, but as a complex intellectual discourse shaped by ideas, texts, academic traditions, and the production of knowledge.

The event contributed to the deepening of academic dialogue on key issues in the humanities, the development of scholarly exchange, and the advancement of interdisciplinary and comparative approaches to the study of nation-building processes.