Vol. 2 No. 2 (2025)

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Browsing Vol. 2 No. 2 (2025) by Author "Tumarbike Bekitova"

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    Framing Female Returnees: Media Representations of Women Repatriated from ISIS in Kazakhstan
    (SDU Journal of Media Studies, 2025) Tumarbike Bekitova
    This paper examines how female returnees from Syria are represented in Kazakhstani media through gendered assumptions. It focuses on women repatriated under Kazakhstan’s Operation Jusan following the territorial defeat of the so-called Islamic State. The study draws on around 30 pieces of media content, including news articles from Tengrinews, Khabar, Sputnik Kazakhstan, ZTB News, Inform.kz, Caravan.kz, Azattyq, and Vlast, as well as official press releases from Akorda, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It explores how women are framed as victims, wives, mothers, or security threats, and how these portrayals intersect with national policy priorities. Gendered narratives simplify complex realities by relying on socially prescribed ideas of how men and women are expected to act during conflict. The findings show that Kazakhstani media often adopt a humane, state-centered discourse, presenting returnees as vulnerable mothers in need of rehabilitation, while simultaneously reinforcing state legitimacy through a protective, paternalistic tone. State-owned outlets tend to highlight a few “model cases” that confirm the official narrative, depoliticizing the issue and obscuring structural drivers of radicalization, which may may hinder genuine reintegration efforts. By contrast, independent media platforms offer more nuanced portrayals, granting women greater agency and situating their experiences within broader structural and social issues, although these accounts remain relatively limited. The study argues that even benevolent narratives can function as tools of political control. Recognizing the influence of gendered framings is therefore crucial for developing more inclusive approaches to transitional justice, gender equality, and sustainable security and reintegration policies.