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Abstract

The thesis investigates the influence of the cultural decolonization and nation-building process in Kazakhstan, i.e. Kazakhization, on the Gansu Dungan ethnic minority group. The Dungan people, a Muslim Chinese-speaking minority in Kazakhstan, is currently undergoing a language shift and an ethnic identity crisis. This study focuses on how Kazakhization policy and other social factors, such as intermarriage, interethnic relations and societal attitude towards the Dungan people, contribute to these issues.

The thesis used unstructured and semi-structured interviews with native Dungan speakers and participant observation in Taraz and Astana as the main research methodology. The findings revealed the rapid language and identity shift and significant differences in language use and ethnic identification of different generations of Dungan people. The older generation in their 50s demonstrate stronger affiliation with Dungan language and identity, while the younger generation in their 20s have limited proficiency in the Dungan language, while possessing a developing Kazakh language proficiency and possessing a dual identity.

Applying Ethnolinguistic Vitality Theory (EVT) and Social Identity Theory (SIT), this research analysed the influence of socio-political and interethnic dynamics on Dungan people’s language use and ethnic identity. The analysis demonstrates that the Dungan language is greatly susceptible to further language shift and emphasizes the need for community-based language preservation strategies, as institutional support for the Dungan language is currently limited.

This thesis contributes to the understanding of minority linguistic situations and ethnic identity negotiation under the pressure of policies aiming at nation-building and cultural assimilation. It also highlights the complex relations between language, identity, and socio-political policies in the context of a post-Soviet, multiethnic country.