The event aimed to present the results of a Targeted Funding Program focused on creating a scientifically grounded and popular historical overview of Kazakhstan for international readers.

The program’s objective was to develop a concise, academically informed yet accessible history of Kazakhstan, reflecting new conceptual approaches and designed to promote an objective understanding of the centuries-old history of the Kazakh people in the context of world history. This initiative is part of the broader celebration of the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s independence.

Key stages and outcomes of the project included:

• A comprehensive review and analysis of both scholarly and popular literature on the history of Kazakhstan, published domestically and internationally. Research was conducted in major libraries in Kazakhstan and abroad, including the Central Scientific Library, the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Almaty), the National Academic Library (Astana), the Russian National Library (St. Petersburg), the Russian State Library (Moscow), and the National Library of Uzbekistan named after Alisher Navoi (Tashkent). The resulting bibliographic database includes over 300 sources. Rare pre-revolutionary materials were photo-documented (2,727 pages in total).
• A conceptual and methodological framework for the publication was developed, along with author and expert guidelines.
• International practices for producing similar historical publications were studied, such as A Short History of the United States by Robert V. Remini (2009), A Short History of England by Simon Jenkins (2011), History of France by André Maurois (2007), A Short History of Germany (2017), and A History of Russia from Rurik to Putin by E.V. Anisimov.
• Scientific expeditions were undertaken to Astana and international archives (RGIA, RGADA, Historical Archive of Omsk Region, United State Archive of Orenburg Region), resulting in the collection of approximately 5,000 pages of archival documents.
• Several academic events were organized, including:
  • A methodological roundtable in Almaty (July 22, 2021),
  • A republican scientific-practical conference (September 28, 2021),
  • An international scientific-practical conference (September 29, 2022),
  • A presentation of the book’s draft to Kazakhstani and foreign diplomats.
• Two volumes of conference proceedings were published (totaling 22 printed sheets).
• Publications resulting from the project include:
  • 4 articles in peer-reviewed journals indexed in Web of Science and/or Scopus,
  • 15 in domestic journals recommended by the Committee for Quality Assurance in Education and Science,
  • 4 in Russian Science Citation Index journals,
  • 5 in national journals,
  • 25 media articles,
  • 90 conference papers,
  • 14 research presentations.

The seminar served as a platform for scholars, experts, doctoral students, master’s students, and undergraduate students to explore the project’s results in depth.