Modern society has come to such a stage of civilized development that processes are now developing very rapidly which demonstrate interdependence of different countries and states. The process of globalization, completely changing the economic and geopolitical map of the world and influencing the development of ethnic and cultural processes, has developed in different ways in different parts of the globe, causing both admiration and hatred. It is also very differently understood and interpreted in the scientific literature, causing new discussions that require scientific research.

In facing the globalization process the countries of the Central Asian region, including Kazakhstan, experience the difficulties and contradictions it creates. More than that, for young developing countries this process is becoming more painful and difficult, as it is connected with serious modernization not only of the economic basis of the society, but also with its superstructural phenomena that break the traditional ways of the society. For Kazakhstan, which has gone through great historical modernization of its traditional society during the last hundred years, this process can be particularly difficult as it can lead to the final loss of the original and unique culture, language and traditions of the Kazakhs etc.

The basis of any culture is a system of values which determines the attitude to the world for oneself and other people. Traditional Kazakh culture has survived under the pressure of attempts without spiritual dimension to transformation it into a socialist culture. At present it is passing through a transformation to mass culture, having lost its prior spirit as before but under great influence from western culture and American mass culture. The ideals of the former social formation which expressed common human values in a more concentrated form have not survived; the new bourgeois ideals do not become dominant in society. The traditional ones, whose carriers are representatives of the Kazakh ethnos that formed the elite, remain on the periphery. Unfortunately, the revival of the noble values of the Kazakh national culture very often takes the form of a reanimation of outward forms and rituals, but not their deep essence. The spiritual heritage of Kazakhs is great, but it can become greater when taken together with many other cultures of those ethnoses which together comprise a whole or unity called the Kazakhstan people. This is important for national consolidation, for the provision of the spiritual independence of the country, and for the establishment of the national and cultural unity of the people of Kazakhstan as a united civil and political unity of people of different nationalities.

The spiritual heritage of the whole people of Kazakhstan is not only history and culture, but first of all that link which connects past and present and makes the present aim for a better future. This is not conservatism or a blind following of the traditions, but that which makes us love, respect and preserve things inherited from our ancestors for the purpose of passing them along to the next generation.

It goes without saying, especially now when the Republic of Kazakhstan is in a transitional period, that it is very important to realise the important role and significance, which the spiritual heritage of the past has for the progressive transformation of Kazakhstan society. The social transformation of the society has gone through a total break down in all its aspects. The largest part has turned into a faceless and nameless mass, having neither its own "I" nor group "WE", and hiding under slogans. Under no circumstances must it grow into the opposite extreme where society would consist of egoists seeing nothing but their own "I" as with our egocentrism now established in some modern western countries.

As we enter into the world system, we must think about Kazakh self-identification, about its survival as an independent nation. Having achieved state independence and sovereignty, we must do our best to strengthen them and to realize clearly that the modern world order faces a hidden danger in the process of globalization of the cultures of humankind. Earlier the culture of any nation gained something new for itself and then created something of its own; now the new has achieved that critical level on which culture must either close within itself in order to survive (which is practically impossible in modern circumstances without being blamed for nationalism, fundamentalism or a reactionary character), or disappear. Having lost all its originality and uniqueness it would turn into a simple expression of national rites and customs for tourists or hide in shops, selling souvenirs to foreigners.

The destruction by globalization of the borders between the different nations and nationalities and their closer economic integration, leads not only to positive, but to a whole range of negative consequences. One is the weakening of the role of the national culture in the process of the formation of an individual and of civil society, which leads in turn to the loss of one’s own spiritual heritage: the Citizen of the World will never sacrifice himself for any separate nation. This is one of the main reasons for the conflict between the process of globalization and national sovereignty which is very actual for Kazakhstan.

While going through this important period of independent development, the period of social transformation and adaptation of the people to their new circumstances, our republic remains in a very vulnerable condition in the cultural sphere. The enthusiasm of the first years allows for some rather smooth development, but as it fades away we risk losing our ethnic identity. If we stop to take measures to support and develop it these should not be only outward forms and the propaganda of the state symbols. Though necessary, in addition we must preserve what is inside us - the soul of the people, its mentality, and the traits of its national character. It is necessary for us again to create that state of our society, when the word "WE" means not only the narrow circle of our relatives, but all nations in general. Only when Kazakhs, as the main state-forming ethos realise themselves, will they be able to integrate the other ethnoses dwelling in Kazakhstan. Then we will be able to speak about one Kazakhstan nation as a new super ethos, achieved on the level of the common national development of Kazakhstan under the conditions of globalization. As a result of social transformation in Kazakhstan there will be created the real conditions for the formation of a civil society and social state, which in turn will provide for a stable, balanced development of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the system of global world relations.