The Specific Features Of A Systemic Approach To The Formation Of The National Mentality Of Karakalpak Youth

Abstract

The national mentality of Karakalpak youth is a multilayered phenomenon formed at the intersection of historical memory of the Aral Sea civilization, Turkic–Khorezmian cultural codes, Islamic and Sufi spirituality, Soviet-era modernization and the present youth policy of independent Uzbekistan. Because these layers do not arise in isolation but operate as an interdependent whole, their study requires a systemic approach that reveals stable links between family, education, environment, language policy, cultural heritage institutions and state development programs. Relying on official documents on state youth policy of Uzbekistan, materials on Karakalpak cultural heritage, and analytical reports on the socio-ecological situation in the Aral Sea region, the article shows that today’s Karakalpak youth are socialized in conditions of ecological stress, multilingual communication and intercultural coexistence, which compels the state and society to form their national mentality not by sporadic cultural events but through a continuous, feedback-based system. The systemic approach is manifested in the integrity of goals (preservation of identity and preparation for modernization), in vertical and horizontal coordination between republican and local institutions, in the inclusion of ecological factors in value education, and in the pedagogical use of oral and artistic heritage. It is concluded that only such an integrated model can prevent the erosion of Karakalpak identity under the pressure of migration and digital globalization.