Fundamentals in ecocritical studies

On l October 1st 1, 2026, in the dormitory of the Faculty of Philology number 17 "SDG-4", within the framework of "environmental education", a lecture "Ecological culture" was held, organized by Professor of the Department of Kazakh Literature and Literary Theory S.Yerzhanova. The lecture was led by the lecturer of the Faculty of Geography, Candidate of Geographical Sciences, Associate Professor Alim Milkaidarov. Geography students took part in the lecture together with philology students. The lecture was started by Candidate of Geographical Sciences, Associate Professor Alim Mylkaidarov with one of the urgent problems of the XI century – environmental protection and ensuring harmonious coexistence of mankind with nature. In particular, having analyzed and explained that along with the achievements of scientific and technological progress, the increased anthropogenic impact leads to irreversible changes in the natural environment, using real examples. First of all, he drew attention to its irreparable consequences. It is for this purpose that each of us must develop an ecological cult.  He emphasized that it is a criterion reflecting the level of development not only of an individual, but also of the whole society. It is well known that the education system occupies a special place in the formation of ecological culture. The university is not only a professional preparatory environment, but also a spiritual center that instills civic, environmental and cultural values. Consequently, commitments such as the implementation of green campus concepts (energy conservation, waste sorting, landscaping) will continue to be an urgent issue. The lecture touched upon state programs and public initiatives aimed at the development of ecological culture in Kazakhstan, analyzed the indicators of its implementation as an important factor.

      In her lecture, Professor S.Zhanova emphasized that Ecoculture is a branch of literary criticism that studies the relationship between man and nature in literary works. This orientation led to an analysis of how nature is depicted in a literary text, the human impact on the environment, and the reflection of environmental problems in literature. Ecocultural science (ecocriticism) is an interdisciplinary field of science that studies the relationship between literature and the natural environment. He stressed that literature is considered not only as an aesthetic phenomenon, but also as a cultural phenomenon that shapes a person's attitude to nature. The professor, who concluded that “ecoculturalism is the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment,” addressed the issues of anthropocentrism – the elevation of humans above nature – and ecocentrism. Ecocentrism is the recognition that nature has value independent of humans. In particular, ecological consciousness indicates that literature should.

        Nevertheless, we have noticed that the level of ecological culture in the country is still low. The topic of the lecture, which became the subject of student debate, touched upon many thoughts. The truth is that a significant part of society views nature as a form of consumption.