Information Letter
II INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
“PHILOSOPHY OF THE GREAT STEPPE AND LEGAL CULTURE”
On 26-27 November 2026, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Akimat of Turkistan Region, and Khoja Ahmed Yasawi International Kazakh-Turkish University will jointly hold the II International Symposium “Philosophy of the Great Steppe and Legal Culture”. The Symposium is an intellectual platform dedicated to studying the Great Steppe not merely as a geographical space, but as an integral civilizational system that shaped the legal thinking of nomadic and Turkic-speaking peoples.
At the present stage, the development of the rule of law requires not only institutional reforms, but also a new understanding of its value-based, cultural and philosophical foundations. From this perspective, the legal heritage of the Great Steppe civilization, the institution of biys, customary law, and traditions based on social harmony and justice are regarded as important intellectual resources for improving the contemporary legal system.
Purpose of the Symposium: The purpose of the Symposium is to comprehensively study the legal and philosophical heritage of the Great Steppe, customary law and legal culture from the perspective of contemporary legal scholarship; to analyze the continuity between the legal values of nomadic civilization and the ideas of contemporary legal philosophy, constitutionalism and the rule of law; as well as to introduce the legal traditions of Turkic peoples into international academic discourse, integrate historical and legal heritage into education and law enforcement practices, and develop international academic cooperation aimed at recognizing the Great Steppe as an independent legal civilization.
The Symposium will address the legal and civilizational foundations of the philosophy of the Great Steppe, the historical experience of customary law and the institution of biys in nomadic society, legal and ethical values in the heritage of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, the legal culture of Turkic peoples, the national origins of contemporary constitutionalism and the rule of law, the use of historical and legal heritage in legal education and law enforcement practices, as well as prospects for the development of legal culture in the context of globalization, digitalization and artificial intelligence.
Areas of the Symposium:
Section 1 – “Traditions of Justice and Legal Heritage in the Turkic World”
Section 2 – “The Philosophy of Steppe Law”
Section 3 – “From the Heritage of the Great Steppe to the Principles of Modern Statehood”
The Symposium will be held in a hybrid format: in-person at Khoja Ahmed Yasawi International Kazakh-Turkish University and online via the Zoom platform.
Working languages of the Symposium: Kazakh, Russian, Turkish, English
Participants of the Symposium are kindly requested to submit their presentation topics by 5 October 2026.
Applications and scientific papers for the Symposium should be submitted electronically to kamila.utegaliyeva@ayu.edu.kz. The application form and requirements for the preparation of presentations are provided in Appendix 1.
Accepted papers will be published electronically in the Symposium Proceedings.
Person responsible: Kamola Utegaliyeva
Contact phone: +7 705 856 1390
E-mail: kamila.utegaliyeva@ayu.edu.kz
Venue: 29 B. Sattarkhanov Street, Turkistan, Khoja Ahmed Yasawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Cultural Center.
Sincerely,
Organizing Committee