Paper abstract:

Studying abroad is inevitably a transformative experience, accompanied by revision and constant renegotiation of social, cultural, and professional identities. For many Bolashakers, participation in the programme was also a first time of living alone away from family and thus accompanied by struggles of consolidation of the ‘self’. It was common to hear from my respondents that the programme was a ‘breaking point’ and a ‘life-changing experience’ that allowed them not only to see the world beyond Kazakhstan, change as a person, but also profoundly transform their socio-economic position upon return. The question of identity of international students have been extensively discussed by scholars of different disciplinary backgrounds, including but not limited to the perspectives of psychology that predominantly focused on issues of intercultural adaptation and identity negotiations, migration and transnational identities and connections, as well as education, often with a focus on internationalisation and globalisation . The literature, however, is predominantly focused on aspects of identity of international students during their time abroad; development of their identities and experiences upon return to home countries is studied in much less detail.

Based on interviews with alumni of the Bolashak International Scholarship who have experience working in the government of Kazakhstan, my analysis is aimed at providing an insight into the identity of the group of government decision makers deemed a ‘new generation of state managers’ (Baimanov, 2016). In the proposed paper, I will discuss how they see themselves and their fellow Bolashakers: What sets them apart as a group? In what ways participation in the programme influenced their values, identities, and social status?

I will start with discussing the special position of Bolashakers both in the society and in terms of a career in the civil service by exploring the questions of prestige, belonging and social networks in which Bolashakers are embedded. I will then move to examining how my respondents narrate what makes them different from the ‘rest’ in civil service and beyond. Using the concepts that my informants brought up, I will review what are the major characteristics of Bolashakers that allow them to perceive themselves and be perceived as ‘different’. I will conclude that discussion by deconstructing the notion of ‘propriety’ that is arguably expected from Bolashaskers in return for the privileges they are endowed with.