“Risk society” as a factor of transformation of the Kazakh society

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the phenomenon of “risk society” as one of the key factors in thetransformation of Kazakh society. In the context of globalization, technological progress and environmentalthreats, risk becomes systemic, covering all spheres of public life from individual choice to institutional poli-cy. Based on the concepts of various authors, various theoretical approaches to understanding risk as a socialconstruct influencing behavioral patterns, the structure of social relations and the general orientation of socialdevelopment are considered. Special attention is paid to the adaptation of these theories to the realities of Ka-zakhstan, including through the prism of cultural, political and economic characteristics of the country. It isdemonstrated that modern Kazakhstan is increasingly approaching the model of a “society of universal risk”,in which security and threat prevention are becoming the dominant guidelines of social policy and publicconsciousness. As a result of the transformation, there are changes in value priorities, forms of social adapta-tion, and mechanisms of institutional regulation. The article highlights the need to form risk-based thinkingand strengthen social trust as conditions for the sustainable development of Kazakhstani society in an era ofinstability and uncertainty.