Paper long abstract:

In today's Kazakhstan, "shala-Qazaq" (half-way or partial Kazakh) is a derogatory term used in relation to ethnic Kazakhs, who have limited or no knowledge of Kazakh language (i.e. Russified Kazakhs). Shala-Qazaqs are allegedly alienated from genuine Kazakh culture and traditions. Ironically, just a century ago "shala-Qazaq" was already a well-known term with an almost opposite meaning. In most historical sources, this term occurs as "Chala-Qazaqs." It refers to an individual or community of people in the Kazakh Steppe, who had mixed ethnic origin (usually a Kazakh mother and a Sart or Tatar father), lived among Kazakhs, and adopted Kazakh culture (spoke Kazakh language and practiced Kazakh customs).

Chala-Qazaqs lived among Kazakhs, spoke the Kazakh language, and practiced Kazakh customs. Their exclusion from the patrilineal Kazakh kinship system was, probably, the only factor that prevented their acceptance as "fully" Kazakh. However, sources suggest that the Kazakh kinship system was not impermeable, and families of Chala-Qazaq origin could be integrated as a line of a Kazakh tribe and lose their "Chala" status. The Kazakhness of former Chala-Qazaqs was evinced by their incorporation into Kazakh shajarahs, tribal genealogies kept in oral and written forms. Hence, the "Chala" status could serve as a way of integrating individuals of mixed ethnic origin into the Kazakh ethnicity. It appears, however, that this process stopped in the 19th century, which, I will argue, was a result of the Russian expansion to its eastern domains, including the Kazakh Steppe.