Abstract
This small-scale research aims to explore the discourses and narratives touching upon the perceptions of Kazakhstan under Soviet rule among students receiving their education in Kazakh and Russian languages. Thirty semistructured interviews with ethnic Kazakh undergraduate students in the capital of Kazakhstan were analysed with a focus on students’ perceptions and experiences of encountering the narratives of national identity touching upon Kazakhstan under Soviet rule in school. The findings showed that compared to 15 students from Russian-medium groups, 15 students receiving their education through the Kazakh language tended to refer more often to decolonial discourses and often mentioned negative consequences of historical events during the Soviet times.