Abstract:

This paper examines the lived experiences of locals and voluntarily displaced people across the Eurasian space as a result of the Ukraine-Russia War. Through examining online networks and conducting online interviews, the paper seeks to explain how changes in the labour environment in Kazakhstan shape opportunities for resistance; and in some ways, anti-war sentiments. The significant influx of (mostly) financially-able individuals from Russia has shocked labour and housing markets in urban areas, creating new market competition as well as disrupting the ongoing economic development in cities. The growing presence of foreigners has aggravated and accentuated identity tensions, emphasizing ethnic, linguistic, and class cleavages. Yet, both foreigners and locals have expressed support for anti-war sentiments – just in varying ways. At the core of this research is the following question: how do changes and shocks to the labour market shape anti-war sentiments? This paper argues that shocks to the labour and housing market in Kazakhstan bolster anti-war sentiments, and, have the potential to put pressure on the state apparatus. On the flip side, top down expressions of anti-war sentiments at the national level can act as a means to maintain societal connection. The increased formal and informal economic activity catalyzed by foreigners also forms new avenues for resistance, changing the society-state dynamic in hybrid authoritarianism. At the core of this research is the story of labour migration as a story of continuity between the pre and post-Soviet periods, taking into account the history of labour movement across that space.