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Abstract

This paper explores how qandastar, ethnic Kazakhs who repatriated to Kazakhstan after 1991 from countries such as China, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and Russia, perceive the history of Kazakhstan and construct a sense of national belonging. Although Kazakhstan’s repatriation policy has received scholarly attention in relation to integration challenges and migration governance, little is known about how qandastar engage with the historical narratives of their ancestral homeland. This study addresses that gap by investigating their knowledge of Kazakh history, their sources of historical information, and their emotional and intellectual attachment to key historical events, figures, and periods.

Based on a mixed-methods research project conducted in 2024 and 2025, this paper draws on data from a nationwide survey of 2,000 repatriated Kazakhs, six focus groups, and 50 in-depth interviews across urban and rural regions of Kazakhstan. All participants were born and educated outside Kazakhstan and migrated Kazakhstan gained its independence. The study examines how transnational memory, diaspora experience, and post-migration adaptation influence their historical consciousness.

The findings show that while many qandastar have limited exposure to formal historical education about Kazakhstan prior to migration, they often possess strong emotional ties to historical identity. Their knowledge is frequently shaped by oral histories, family narratives, diasporic memory, and digital platforms such as YouTube and social media. Many participants expressed skepticism toward official state narratives, favoring localized and genealogical understandings of history rooted in tribal affiliation and regional identity. The study also reveals a tension between the desire to “reclaim” national history and the exclusion or distortion of that history in their countries of origin.

This research contributes to literature on postcolonial memory, diaspora identity, and nation-building in Central Asia. It argues that qandastar are not passive recipients of state history but active interpreters who engage with and sometimes challenge dominant narratives. Their hybrid experiences complicate linear state-building projects and offer new insights into how historical memory is reconstructed in post-Soviet contexts.