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- Format:
- Panel
- Theme:
- Sociology & Social Issues
Accepted papers
Abstract
Recently, young people have faced more socio-economic challenges than previous generations worldwide (Aassve et al., 2013; Scarpetta et al., 2010). Ambiguity in the labor market, skills mismatches, poor health conditions, and education-related barriers continue to push more young people into precarious situations (Eurofound, 2012). In this sense, the concept of 'NEET,' which first appeared on the agenda of British policymakers in the 1990s, has helped many countries identify individuals in vulnerable circumstances (Furlong, 2006; Social Exclusion Unit, 1999). While NEET stands for 'not in education, employment, and training' and is used to assess youth vulnerability (Furlong, 2006, p. 554), its markers remain higher, especially among women worldwide. Recent data show an increase in the global NEET rate (21.8% in 2019; 23.3% in 2020), with young women being twice as likely to fall into the at-risk category compared to men (ILO, 2022). This paper offers a quantitative analysis of the main factors that increase the likelihood of women becoming NEET in Kazakhstan, based on secondary data from the Labour Force Survey covering 2012 to 2022. In Kazakhstan, the NEET rate for women has been twice as high as that for men. One in ten young women aged 15–28 is neither employed nor engaged in educational activities. Key factors increasing the likelihood of a woman becoming a NEET include possessing vocational education, being a young mother, living with a larger family, and residing in a rural area. The paper also discusses how the Labour Force Survey can be used as a policy tool to address the NEET issue in Kazakhstan.
Abstract
Disinformation has become a pervasive concern within Japan’s contemporary media environment, yet empirical research on how ordinary citizens perceive and respond to misleading information remains limited. This study examines the sociocultural, political, and technological dimensions of disinformation in Japan, investigating public attitudes through an original survey of 286 respondents conducted in 2025. Drawing on prior scholarship on media trust, digital ecosystems, right-wing mobilization, and inoculation theory, this research identifies key structural factors that shape vulnerability to misinformation. The findings reveal widespread exposure to misleading content across both digital and traditional media channels, fragmented patterns of media trust, significant gaps in confidence and competence in misinformation detection, and low yet inconsistent fact-checking practices. Messaging apps, television, and online news sites emerged as primary vectors of misleading information, while trust in media sources showed strong polarization. Respondents widely perceived the elderly and middle-aged as the most vulnerable demographic groups, attributing susceptibility primarily to peer influence, trust in authority, and low digital literacy. These results underscore the need for more comprehensive media literacy initiatives and context-specific “prebunking” strategies in Japan. The study contributes to existing scholarship by focusing on public perception and behavior, an underexamined dimension in Japanese disinformation research, and by providing empirical insights into the everyday mechanisms through which misinformation circulates.
Abstract
How do groups generate the cohesion, discipline, and loyalty needed for sustained collective action under pressure? This paper revisits Ibn Khaldun’s concept of asabiyyah as a theoretical framework for analyzing collective mobilization and social power in contemporary settings relevant to Central Eurasian studies. Rather than treating asabiyyah solely as a historically bounded explanation of tribal solidarity and dynastic rise, the paper argues that it can be reinterpreted as a broader analytical model of how groups produce coordinated action, moral commitment, and strategic endurance.
This argument places Ibn Khaldun in dialogue with modern sociological and organizational theories of cohesion, including social capital, organizational commitment, collective identity, and interaction ritual theory. While these approaches illuminate important aspects of solidarity and cooperation, they often examine them in fragmented ways: as structure, incentive, identity, or emotion. By contrast, asabiyyah offers a synthetic vocabulary that links solidarity to power by showing how loyalty, discipline, and shared purpose become a mobilizing force.
The paper’s contribution is twofold. First, it demonstrates the continued relevance of a classical Islamic concept for contemporary social theory. Second, it shows how this concept can enrich the study of collective life across Central Eurasia and adjacent regions historically shaped by Islamic intellectual traditions, where questions of authority, belonging, resilience, and social coordination remain central. In doing so, the paper contributes to ongoing efforts to rethink Central Eurasia not only as a geographic space, but also as a field of connected intellectual and social formations.
Abstract
As foundational elements of civil society, volunteers represent a community's self-organizing capacity. Although youth voluntarism is a growing phenomenon in Kyrgyzstan, the specific drivers within this transition economy remain under-theorized and often lack a unified model. This study applies the “hybrid volunteering framework,” which traditionally situates motivation between micro-level individual agency and macro-level formal organizations. Significantly, this research extends the framework by incorporating a critical meso-level dimension, arguing that motivation is not solely negotiated within formal institutions.
Utilizing in-depth interviews with 23 young volunteers in Naryn, the study demonstrates that informal community structures—grounded in informal leadership, cultural traditions (collective self-help), social connectedness, and moral obligations—significantly shape participation. Findings reveal a hybrid system where modern professional development intersects with traditional community resilience. Ultimately, this research provides a more nuanced, unified model for understanding how diverse drivers collectively sustain long-term youth social engagement in transition economies.
Abstract
This paper examines the best practices of organized recruitment in contemporary Russia as a system of state-supported and institutionally coordinated mechanisms for attracting, training, and integrating human capital. The study focuses on the transformation of organized recruitment from a narrow labor-matching instrument into a broader policy framework that links employment services, vocational education, digital platforms, and youth talent development. Particular attention is paid to the interaction between labor-market institutions and educational initiatives aimed at reducing information asymmetries, improving school-to-work transitions, and strengthening the quality of workforce preparation.
The paper systematizes several key practices that have emerged in Russia since the 2010s. Among them are the unified digital employment platform Work in Russia, which has expanded the transparency and territorial reach of vacancy matching; the WorldSkills movement and demonstration exams, which have promoted competency-based training and standardized assessment in vocational education; the “Profstazhirovki 2.0” initiative, which connects students with employers through practice-oriented case assignments and internships; the modernization of employment centres into client-oriented career hubs; and educational projects such as Russia – Land of Opportunity, the Boiling Point innovation network, and early career-guidance programmes. Taken together, these instruments illustrate a shift toward an integrated recruitment model based on digitalization, public-private cooperation, and measurable competencies.
Methodologically, the paper relies on a qualitative policy analysis and systematization of institutional practices implemented in the spheres of labor-market regulation, vocational training, and educational mobility. The analysis demonstrates that the combined effect of these measures is reflected in three major outcomes: improved labor-market transparency, stronger alignment between education and employer demand, and the expansion of youth social mobility through institutionalized “social lift” mechanisms. The Russian experience is therefore interpreted not only as a national case of organized recruitment, but also as a transferable policy toolkit for countries facing labor shortages, skills mismatches, and persistent youth out-migration.
Abstract
The study examines how the boundaries of national belonging are reinterpreted in the Kazakhstani public sphere through the case of naturalised athletes who represent the country while having different ethnic backgrounds or citizenship. Drawing on Craig Calhoun’s conception of the nation as a dynamic practice of distinguishing between “us” and “them”, we analyse the conditions under which such athletes are incorporated into the symbolic category of “ours” within Kazakhstan’s multiethnic context.
The empirical basis consists of a corpus of comments from digital media and social networks discussing athletes from various disciplines who have represented Kazakhstan in different periods. The selection of figures with diverse career trajectories, from consistently successful athletes to those who have provoked more ambivalent or contested reactions, allows us to trace shifts in public attitudes and to identify the mechanisms of symbolic inclusion. Particular attention is paid to how sporting achievements, the frequency of appearing with national symbols, and public statements referencing Kazakhstan shape perceptions of an athlete as belonging to the national community.
We assume that high performance often facilitates a pragmatic form of acceptance in which origin becomes secondary. However, such inclusion remains partial and contingent on current sporting success, media framings, and prevailing discursive moods. The case of naturalised athletes thus offers a lens for observing which criteria are regarded as legitimate for recognising national belonging, how society negotiates between ethnocultural expectations and civic identity, and how sport functions as an arena in which the boundaries of Kazakhstan’s national “we” are continuously reassembled.
Abstract
The official narratives in Azerbaijan strategically mobilizes architectural heritage to construct a national imaginary of “multiculturalism,” rooted in a narrative of tolerance as a “foundational feature of national character.” This paper examines the case of the Baku Lutheran Kirche (Kircha) as a site where this state-endorsed project is both enacted and resisted. Originally built by German and Swedish entrepreneurs at the end of the 19th century and later a Soviet-era survivor, the Kircha’s transformation into a state-sanctioned Philharmonic Organ Hall represents a deliberate attempt to fold “outsider” Christian heritage into a national identity defined by secular tolerance and Azerbaijani multiculturalism.
Drawing on a “multiple secularities” perspective, I explore how a diverse spectrum of Protestant communities—ranging from traditional Lutherans to neo-charismatic groups—skillfully navigate this state-supervised landscape. By utilizing multiculturalism policies to secure space within a competitive “religious market,” these actors engage in “place-making from below.” Through the act of renting the secularized hall for Sunday worship, they reclaim the building’s “original” spiritual purpose while strategically incorporating state narratives of multiculturalism into their own religious practices.
This case study reveals the Kircha as a contested space where top-down narratives of Muslim-led tolerance intersect with vernacular religious persistence. It demonstrates how heritage can simultaneously function as a tool to manage social fractures and a site where polarized identities—secular vs. religious, national vs. communal—are negotiated through the very stones of the city.
Abstract
Building on the work of Rustamjon Urinboyev (2020), this study explores the "Digital Mahalla" among Uzbek migrants in Astana, Kazakhstan. While existing research focuses on the "home-host" link, this paper investigates how digital networks facilitate mediated brotherhood within the culturally proximate environment of Astana. The research examines how platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp reconstruct traditional kinship and hashar (mutual aid) in a city that shares Turkic roots and similar social structures with Uzbekistan. By framing the smartphone as a "psychological exoskeleton," the study proposes that this digital brotherhood provides ontological security, helping migrants navigate the nuances of the Kazakh capital. This project seeks to understand how shared cultural heritage and digital connectivity transform individual vulnerability into a strategic, collective resilience.
Abstract
This paper examines the structure of cultural value orientations in contemporary Kazakhstan and asks how value change unfolds in societies undergoing rapid institutional and economic transformation. Kazakhstan provides an important empirical case for understanding value transformation in Central Eurasia, a region undergoing rapid change since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Classical theories of modernization, particularly those associated with Ronald Inglehart and Christian Welzel, propose that economic development gradually shifts societies from survival values toward self-expression, civic autonomy, and higher interpersonal trust. However, empirical evidence from post-Soviet societies frequently uncovers more intricate and internally contradictory patterns of value formation.
Using nationally representative survey data from Kazakhstan, this study identifies latent cultural configurations through hierarchical cluster analysis (Ward’s method with Euclidean distance) followed by k-means clustering. The clustering model includes views on equality, the state's role in providing welfare, support for progressive taxation, trust between people, and the trade-offs that people make between freedom, equality, and security. This approach allows the identification of underlying value formations that are not reducible to conventional socio-demographic categories.
The analysis reveals six distinct value clusters reflecting different orientations toward the state, redistribution, and social solidarity. These clusters range from statist welfare supporters and egalitarian redistributionists to liberal humanists and right-leaning individualists. The key empirical finding is the dominance of a large cluster encompassing roughly seventy percent of respondents, characterized by weak ideological alignment, low interpersonal trust, and a pragmatic orientation toward personal responsibility rather than collective social projects.
The presence of these clusters does not indicate a linear progression towards a cohesive modern value system; instead, it implies that Kazakhstan's value landscape is shaped by conflicting normative frameworks. Elements of paternalism, egalitarianism, liberal autonomy, and pragmatic individualism coexist within the same social space without forming a stable cultural hierarchy.
The paper argues that this configuration reflects a broader condition of ambivalent modernity, in which societies experience modernization without the consolidation of a unified moral order. By identifying empirically grounded value clusters, the study contributes to the literature on cultural change and post-socialist transformation, demonstrating how rapid institutional change can generate hybrid and internally contradictory value systems rather than a clear shift toward post-materialist values. More broadly, the findings contribute to ongoing debates about the trajectories of social change in Central Eurasia, suggesting that modernization in the region may generate ambivalent and hybrid value structures rather than a linear transition toward post-materialist values.
Abstract
Recently, the relationship between migration and information and communication technologies (ICTs) has become one of the key fields of migration scholarship. The widespread use of mobile devices, messaging applications, and social media has significantly transformed the ways in which social ties are maintained across spatial and temporal distances, making communication almost continuous and instantaneous. In this context, it is particularly important to analyse the role of ICT-mediated communication in the creation of ethno-migrant communities, including digital diasporas as a new form of sociality.
In the academic literature, the phenomenon of digital diasporas and platform mediated communication is discussed as both a theoretical and a practical issue. On the one hand, it allows for a rethinking of classical understandings of diasporas, community boundaries, and mechanisms of solidarity by illustrating how online communities contribute to the creation, maintenance, and reproduction of diasporic ties. On the other hand, such communities play a practical role in migrants’ everyday lives by providing access to information, mutual assistance, and economic and social resources. Their impact, however, is ambivalent, as digital diasporas may both facilitate adaptation in the host society and reinforce closure within migrants’ own networks.
In the proposed presentation, I examine the role of online communities, specifically group chats on WhatsApp and Telegram, in the formation and reproduction of diasporas and migrant infrustructure, using the case of migrants from Central Asian countries in Russia. The empirical basis consists of in-depth interviews conducted in 2023–2024. The qualitative analysis shows that group chats on messaging platforms constitute a key infrastructure of both digital and offline diasporas. The study identifies several types of such communities, including former classmates’ chats, hometown-based (zemlyachestvo) chats, chats organised by diasporic and ethno-cultural associations, professional and workplace groups, “noticeboard” chats, financial mutual-aid groups (known as chёрnaya kassa), informal friendship-based chats, as well as family chats.
The characteristics of these communities, patterns of communication within them, and their functions will be examined. Preliminary results suggest that these online communities play a crucial role in maintaining social ties, mobilising mutual assistance, and coordinating everyday practices in migration, thereby shaping dense translocal and transnational networks.
Abstract
Building on recent theoretical accounts of “homing” among displaced persons (Boccagni 2022), we analyze how conceptions of home evolve for refugees living in Germany who fled their homes in Ukraine due to Russia’s full-scale invasion. Homing is best understood as a multilayered, perpetual process whereby people seek a home in the future across multiple scales (domicile, community, nation). Refugees represent an especially interesting population for studying the complex dynamics of homing under challenging circumstances, because by definition they have experienced a sharp rupture that has torn them away from their past home in their origin country. Other research on homing by refugees (Brun and Fabos 2015; Deneiko and Aasland 2024) or IDPs (Kabachnik et al. 2010) indicates that memories of the past home(s) and experiences of the present home(s) offer alternative models for imagining future home(s), and some refugees embrace one or the other of these other alternatives, while others hedge, seeking to keep both options open, and still others, stuck in limbo, see neither as viable. We refine this framework by incorporating change over time in the homing orientations of refugees, a focus on homing actions (not just thoughts), and a study of a context (Germany) that offers more ambiguous prospects for extending the present into the future than most other refugee situations. Our data come from 86 in depth interviews conducted with 44 Ukrainian refugees in Germany. Because 2 informants were interview twice and 20 three times, we can trace both stability and change over time in homing orientations and practices and analyze factors that precipitate them. Our findings point to shifts in multiple directions, highlighting the need for a dynamic rather than a purely static perspective in theorizing and analyzing homing among displaced populations.
References
O.Deneiko & A.Aasland, “’Where is Home?’ Perceptions of Home and Future among Ukrainian Refugees in Norway”, Refugee Survey Quarterly, 43, 2024, 347–367.
P. Boccagni, “Homing: A Category for Research on Space Appropriation and ‘Home-oriented’ Mobilities”, Mobilities, 17(4), 2022, 585-601.
C. Brun & A. Fabos A, “Making Homes in Limbo? A Conceptual Framework”, Refugee, 1, 2015, 5–17.
P. Kabachnik, J. Regulska & B. Mitchneck, “Where and When is Home? The Double Displacement of Georgian IDPs from Abkhazia”, Journal of Refugee Studies, 23(3), 2010, 315–336.
Abstract
This presentation examines the adaptation of internal migrants in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It is based on the findings of qualitative sociological research conducted in 2025 within an urban area favored by migrants due to relatively affordable housing and proximity to major markets (specifically the Nauryzbay district and several suburban villages). A total of 45 interviews were conducted with individuals of diverse ages, genders, and backgrounds, primarily focusing on first-generation migrants. The research indicates that upward mobility for both migrants and their children is a primary objective for migration, which participants perceive as attainable. Instances of discrimination, where they exist, are mainly confined to interpersonal interactions regarding everyday issues (e.g., conflicts between ‘locals’ and ‘newcomers’) and do not constitute a significant barrier to migrants’ advancement within the city. However, the weakening of migrant support networks identified during the study may significantly impede recovery from initial migration shock and create unfavorable conditions for the socialization of children and adolescents from migrant families. Thus, the 'second-generation problem'—frequently identified in the literature regarding Western external migration—may replicate itself within this context, even if its manifestations are less acute.
Abstract
The paper is devoted to the main demographic determinants of the higher birth orders (3rd and higher) in Kazakhstan. The fertility in the Central Asian region remains high in comparison with the world population and the demographic transition in the region seems to stall. There are several reasons explaining this phenomenon, and it looks like that the mechanisms based on the higher education participation decline and the labour market closed for women do not work. In our research we test the hypothesis that the higher fertility levels in the families of the mothers (higher numbers of siblings) has a positive correlation with the hazards to give birth of the children by higher orders (3, 4 and 5th). To approve the hypothesis we use data from Kazakhstan Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) organized at the late 2010s. Technically we use Cox proportional hazards model, and control for the possible confounders
Abstract
This paper examines the migration trends, processes, and settlement experiences of Central Asian Muslims in Europe, with a particular focus on the United Kingdom. The diversification of migration patterns in Central Asian countries—shaped in part by bilateral agreements between Central Asian states and several Western countries—has created new opportunities for seasonal employment in Europe, including the UK. Although Russia remains the primary destination for labour migrants from Central Asia, it is no longer the sole attractive option due to evolving socio-economic and political conditions. Migration to Europe offers the prospect of higher earnings for seasonal workers; however, its scale remains limited by increasingly restrictive immigration policies and the rise of anti-immigration sentiments across Europe.
In recent years, the UK has witnessed an unprecedented increase in the arrival of labour migrants from Central Asia. While precise figures remain unavailable, the number of migrants has grown significantly. This paper explores the migration patterns of Tajik migrants in the UK, focusing on their processes of adaptation, key push and pull factors, and the social and institutional mechanisms that enable them to extend their stay and pursue settlement. Drawing on ethnographic research, the paper argues that Central Asian migrants actively utilise existing community networks and legal frameworks to regularise their status and adapt to the UK’s multicultural environment.
Keywords: Central Asia, Muslims, Europe, United Kingdom, Tajik migrants, migration, diaspora
Abstract
The rapid expansion of digital technologies has significantly transformed adolescents’ lives worldwide. While digital environments create new opportunities for communication, learning, and social interaction, growing concerns have emerged regarding their potential impact on adolescent mental health. These challenges are particularly relevant in Central Asia, where rapid digitalization is reshaping social environments and youth lifestyles.
This paper examines the relationship between digital technology use and indicators of adolescent mental health, with a focus on anxiety, depression, and stress, using evidence from Uzbekistan. The analysis is based on data from the National School Survey on Adolescent Mental Health and Psychosocial Well-being, conducted in 2022 in collaboration with UNICEF, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The survey includes 22,854 students from 299 schools across all regions of the country, representing one of the largest empirical datasets on adolescent mental health in Central Asia.
The findings indicate that adolescents who spend more than five hours per day online exhibit significantly higher levels of anxiety, depression, and stress compared to moderate users. Qualitative evidence from focus groups further highlights the ambivalent nature of digital engagement: adolescents describe both the opportunities provided by online environments and the emotional risks associated with excessive screen time.
Situating the Uzbek case within the broader Central Asian context, the paper discusses how increasing internet connectivity, widespread smartphone use, and expanding social media environments are transforming adolescent socialization across the region. The study contributes to emerging research on youth digital well-being in Central Asia and emphasizes the importance of developing integrated policy approaches, including digital literacy education, parental engagement, and school-based mental health support.
Keywords: digital technologies, adolescent mental health, screen time, digital well-being, anxiety and depression, Central Asia
Abstract
This paper attempts to place the historical narrative of punitive psychiatry in Qazaqstan in the greater context of global mental health trends led by “Western” countries (here meaning Western Europe and/or the United States). In the 1970s, the Soviet Union had many Western European mental health clinicians in an uproar after news spread of imprisoned political dissidents in psychiatric facilities. After seemingly many failed conversations with the Soviets on rehabilitating this matter, the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) forced Soviet professionals to withdraw from the association in 1983. Information started resurfacing two decades later that the practice of pathologizing and institutionalizing political activists continued in post-Soviet countries, especially in Qazaqstan, a country where youth suicide rates were among the highest in the world. European centers monitoring global practices of democracy were quick to criticize, claiming that the “political abuse of psychiatry” was corrupting Qazaqstan, and that, despite reform efforts, the country was only but a “cunning democracy.”
However, consulting secondary historical articles written by both Qazaqstani and Western scholars on the relationship between Qazaqstani, Russian and Western European psychiatry, there seems to be a trend where 18th and 19th-century European imperialism, including in Central Asia, coincided with a social rise in the authority of psychiatric professionals in Europe, who then became useful instruments of imperialism and social repression with their newfound ability to both pathologize and cure “unwanted others.” This is visible in the publications of British psychiatrist J. C. Carothers—who played an important role in representing psychiatric guidelines of the WHO, as well as in Franz Fanon’s reflections in his book, The Wretched of the Earth, and even in current WHO publications with regards to the representation of researchers on consultation boards for international projects.
Western critics often use the term “political abuse of psychiatry” when referring to countries outside of Europe, but may refer to internal practices of punitive psychiatry as “one-off mishaps.” Fundamentally, the term assumes the following three points: there exists “one preferred way” of practicing psychiatry, this “one preferred way” necessitates a democratic government, and that non-former Soviet European countries practice an exemplary form of democracy. This paper examines, in conjunction, how psychological experiments are conducted and whether "psychiatric normality" exists, the imperalist history of global mental health, and how psychiatry arrived in Qazaqstan to challenge all three of the above assumptions contributing to the suppression of more equitable, cross-cultural exchanges of health information.
Abstract
Kazakhstan represents a demographic outlier among post-Soviet states, experiencing a sustained fertility recovery since the late 1990s while most of the region stagnated at sub-replacement levels. This paper examines how religion, religiosity, and value orientations shape fertility outcomes in Kazakhstan using data from the 2018 Generations and Gender Survey (GGS). Poisson and Cox regression models show that Muslims consistently report more children than non-Muslims, even after controlling for socio-demographic characteristics. Religiosity has a non-linear effect as modest levels already raise fertility among Muslims, while religiosity has no effect for non-Muslims. Value orientations show that family-support norms increase fertility, especially for Muslims, whereas gender egalitarianism reduces fertility across groups. Therefore, these findings demonstrate that Kazakhstan’s demographic trajectory is sustained by a combination of Muslim identity, kinship-based family values, and selective adoption of modern norms.
Abstract
The political status of the English language both during the USSR and in the independent present in Central Asia, and in Uzbekistan in particular, is well documented within the paradigm of a few disciplines related to the humanities (e.g., politology, language and linguistics, history, etc.). However, the English language social role during the mentioned periods lacks sufficient data in the academic literature. The qualitative data offered for the present conference, which was obtained from semi-structured interview questions for the project funded by University of Westminster and Westminster International University in Tashkent , and also a part of the PhD study grounded on the critical realism, which combines existing ontologies (e.g., those based on data from existing structures) and interpretive epistemologies (e.g., how the structures have been perceived). In particular, it offers data on the sociological perceptions of the English language among recipients from different age groups who studied English at secondary schools and Higher Education Institutions in the Uzbek SSR and independent Uzbekistan within the period from 1959 to 2008. It will provide data: a) on the reasons to study the English language from the recipients from different social layers; b) the perception of the English language curricula (e.g., disciplines related to practicum vs non-practicum fields, diciplines related to specialised vs non-specialised fields and etc.) and English language materials during different periods by those who had studied only in Uzbekistan and those who had the experience of studying in the USA or the UK; c) the perception of the English language class instructions in secondary schools and HEIs.
Abstract
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has been linked to distancing from Russian and a stronger embrace of Ukrainian. This paper asks whether a similar, if less pronounced, reorientation is emerging in Qazaqstan, a society shaped by imperial and Soviet linguistic hierarchies.
The paper draws on forty semi-structured, in-depth interviews with ethnic Qazaqs in Almaty conducted in the summer of 2023. The sample is stratified by age cohort (18 to 30 vs. 50+) and by primary language environment, with half of participants reporting predominantly Russian use in daily life and half reporting predominantly Qazaq use. We analyze answers to parallel prompts asking whether the war affected attitudes toward the Russian language and toward the Qazaq language, and how respondents justified stability or change.
Findings show limited change among Qazaq dominant participants, for whom Qazaq is consistently framed as a stable marker of identity and everyday practice. By contrast, many Russian dominant participants report some shift in their relationship to Qazaq after 2022. For some, the shift is largely symbolic, expressed as a stronger association between Qazaq and sovereignty, belonging, and cultural continuity. Others describe efforts to increase Qazaq use while grappling with practical barriers, including diminished fluency after long immersion in Russian speaking schools and workplaces. Across the sample, Russian often retains instrumental value for work and interethnic communication, and several respondents explicitly distinguish the language from the Russian state. Together, the interviews suggest that geopolitical shock can politicize language and reshape linguistic repertoires even outside the battlefield.
Abstract
Due to the outbreak of civil war in Syria and the ensuing climate of instability that forced them to leave their country, some individuals of Circassian origin have headed to Kayseri province, where a dense Circassian population resides in Turkey. Support was provided to these migrants by various circles, primarily the institutions of the Republic of Turkey and Circassian non-governmental organizations. Particularly, the fact that Syrian Circassians bear a Muslim identity facilitated their acceptance and inclusion in aid efforts by groups that are not of Circassian origin. However, some of the arrivals have preferred to go to the Caucasus, showing a tendency to return to the historical homeland they were forced to leave during the 1864 Great Circassian Exile.
This study addresses the life experiences of Syrian Circassian families settled in Kayseri province. Within the scope of the research, the main problem areas encountered by these families will be examined around social dimensions such as language barriers and social integration processes, employment opportunities and working conditions, social prejudices and practices of othering. Methodologically, the study will be based on data obtained from in-depth interviews conducted with 15 families and their members, identified in accordance with sociological research methods, using semi-structured interview forms.
The research aims to reveal the participants' proficiency levels in their mother tongue (Circassian), the difficulties and advantages they experience in the Turkish learning process, the attitudes of Kayseri society towards Syrian Circassians, the disadvantageous situations arising from living in a neighboring country, and the contributions of the recognition and social capital provided by Circassian identity to the integration process, despite the risk of possible xenophobia.
Keywords: Syrianness, Kayseri, Circassian Identity, Refugee Status.
Note: I would like to send the same abstract to DAVO Congress 2026/September 10-12.
Abstract
This research explores the intersection of cultural globalization and gender identity among youth in Kazakhstan through a mixed-methods study conducted from 2015 to 2024. Combining quantitative surveys of university students and qualitative, semi-structured interviews, the study examines how multidimensional media consumption – covering music, cinema, influencers, and gaming – shapes contemporary constructions of masculinity and femininity in a post-Soviet context. The key findings reveal that youth identity in Kazakhstan is shaped by “nested globalization,” where Western, Asian (Hallyu), and Russian influences interact with local Kazakh “culture producers.” For young men, media consumption often reinforces “heroic” or hegemonic masculinity through genres like hip-hop, action cinema, and competitive video games. However, this masculinity is flexible; it is significantly influenced by shared nostalgia for Soviet and Western retro culture inherited from family environments. Young men act as “cultural omnivores,” navigating global trends while maintaining sustained ties to traditional family role models. Conversely, young women’s consumption has become increasingly individualized and empowered through digital development. While Western cinema remains dominant, Asian globalization, especially K-pop and Korean TV dramas, acts as a key driver for exploring diverse cultural stories and forming new gender identities. This mediated femininity enables women to challenge traditional norms by engaging with global celebrity “opinion makers,” thereby fostering a form of digital empowerment that blends global trends with local family values. This research explores how gendered aspects of globalization in Central Asia are shaped, an area that has been underexamined. By shifting the academic focus away from traditional topics such as nationalism, religion, and state-building, I argue that mediated gender identities are influenced by global flows but also renegotiated and localized. It offers a detailed view of how youth agency and digital media transform cultural citizenship in a post-Soviet society.
Abstract
This paper examines the evolving landscape of digital media habits and consumption in Kazakhstan through the combined lenses of media repertoires and social class. The study investigates how media practices are structured across different social strata using a unique, regionally representative 2025 survey of 8,000 respondents. The research methodology relies on quantitative analysis of this large-scale dataset to identify primary news sources and social media usage patterns. Conceptually, the paper integrates the three-level model of the digital divide—encompassing access, usage, and opportunities—with the framework of media repertoires, emphasizing the relational nature of media consumption rather than isolated platform usage. Furthermore, it explores the homology between social class space and the space of media practices, demonstrating that media repertoires are unevenly distributed according to economic capital, age, ethno-linguistic grouping, geographic location (spanning major cities, small towns, and rural villages), and, crucially, cultural capital.
Cultural capital reveals itself as a pivotal structuring force in this landscape, shaping media habits through both the overall volume of an individual's repertoire and the specific practices it either restricts or valorizes. Its impact varies significantly by demographic: among older populations, cultural capital primarily dictates the sheer volume of the media repertoire, whereas for the youth, it drives deep qualitative differences. Notably, as cultural capital increases, it tends to homogenize media practices, mitigating traditional gender and ethno-linguistic gaps. Highly privileged groups exhibit "media omnivorousness" alongside clear patterns of digital distinction, deliberately limiting platforms for short-form video consumption in favor of capital-enhancing, text-oriented content focused on science, economics, politics, and self-development. Conversely, although youth are broadly shifting away from traditional television, certain subgroups are replacing it with a constrained repertoire restricted to mobile-only access, social networks, and short-form video, while access to media innovations—such as Threads, generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT), and premium movie subscriptions—remains unevenly distributed across the social space.
Furthermore, while it is critical to recognize how cultural capital creates nuanced and sophisticated forms of digital distinction, we must not overlook the persistence of foundational divides. Even with high overall internet penetration in Kazakhstan, significant disparities remain in access to high-quality wired connections and the capacity for large-format desktop usage.
Abstract
Labor migration from Kyrgyzstan has traditionally been oriented toward Russia, but recent geopolitical situations created new migration destinations toward European countries. This study examines how Europe is becoming an important destination for Kyrgyz migrant workers and how informal community connections play a vital role in making this migration possible. Through in-depth interviews with Kyrgyz labor migrants in Germany, analysis of social media platforms and local networks in southern Kyrgyzstan, and engagement with sending companies, this study provides empirically grounded insights into how informality operates across multiple scales of the migration process.
The study considers how informal networks serve as crucial intermediaries that both enable and constrain migration opportunities, challenging traditional theoretical frameworks that view informality as a market failure. Rather than simply filling institutional gaps, these networks actively shape migration patterns, destination choices, and labor market integration outcomes. Local networks in southern Kyrgyzstan provide important resources including information about European opportunities, financial support, and connections with diaspora communities. These networks demonstrate meaningful adaptive capacity, rapidly reconfiguring in response to changing European immigration policies.
The findings complicate existing migration theories by revealing how informal networks operate as facilitators of mobility. Germany as a particularly significant destination due to labor migration agreements while still relying heavily on informal network activation.
The study reveals how informality can create opportunities for mobility and expose migrants to exploitation. Successful migration governance requires engagement with informal actors and recognition of how networks serve as both bridges and barriers to integration, contributing to more effective migration systems.
Abstract
Cotton production historically played a central role in Central Asia. Under the Tsarist Russian rule and the Soviet planning economy Russian Turkestan and later Soviet republics such as Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan were transformed into major cotton-producing regions through policies that promoted low-taxation, large-scale irrigation and cotton seed bank loans. These policies reorganized traditional rural agriculture introducing collective farms and used rural labour force to build the cotton economy. Cotton production and environmental changes as a consequence had important implications for public health in Central Asia yet it was silenced during the Soviet era. While existing research examined the socio-economic and environmental consequences of cotton farming in Central Asia, the studies which focus on the relationship between cotton agriculture and public health remain lacking. This research aims to fill in this gap by studying this relationship. The main objective of this research is to examine the relationship between cotton production and public health in Central Asia, through the example of rural Kyrgyzstan under the Soviet rule. This study adopts a medical anthropological framework to investigate the relationships between cotton production, environmental change, and public health in Soviet and post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan – namely the southern oblasts of Osh and Jalalabad which are the main regions where cotton was cultivated. Medical anthropology provides a lens to understand not only the biomedical impacts of environmental change but also the social, political, and historical contexts in which health outcomes are produced and often silenced, including the local knowledge. The methodology combines archival research, ethnographic fieldwork, oral histories, and environmental health assessment to capture the complex interplay between cotton monoculture and public health in Osh and Jalalabad.
Abstract
Due to its geographical location between the continents of Europe and Asia, the Republic of Turkey currently hosts millions of refugees. According to UNHCR figures, nearly 4.5 million people of foreign nationality live in the country. Of these, between 300,000 and 500,000 are Afghans, with the remainder belonging to other nationalities. It is estimated that approximately between 170,000 and 180,000 Afghan nationals have legal status. Changes in the Afghan government, increasing economic and political instability, and the ongoing war in Iran are forcing Afghan youth to seek better lives abroad. Because Iran also has a population of Afghan refugees numbering in the millions. For them, Turkey is a major destination and a key transit country for migration to Europe. A significant number of Afghan refugees have used Turkey not as their final destination but as a stepping stone to European countries and other destinations. However, the presence of Afghan refugees in Turkey dates back to the 1980s. A significant number of Afghans fleeing the Soviet-Afghan War and subsequent civil war sought refuge in Turkey. Although the Turkish state has accelerated so-called voluntary return and deportation policies targeting Afghan citizens in recent years, it continues to grapple with refugee-related challenges for multiple structural reasons. Afghan refugees who have fled Afghanistan and sought refuge in Turkey but are unable to move to a third country face numerous problems. The most prominent of these is the issue of integration. While the older generation struggles with integration into Turkish society, the younger generation remains alienated from their own cultural values. This paper is based on oral interviews addressing the problems faced by Afghan refugee families living in Manisa, Turkey, including access to education and healthcare, language barriers, unemployment, and social exclusion.
Keywords: Turkey, Afghanistan, refugees, migration, Manisa, cultural alienation, integration problems
Abstract
This paper explores how intimate relationships are reconfigured in contemporary Tajikistan amid intensified labour migration. Using love—across romantic, familial, platonic, and patriotic forms—as an ethnographic lens, it examines how intimacy and belonging are (re-)produced and contested in everyday life. Based on research in both urban and rural settings, including Dushanbe and villages surrounding Bokhtar, the paper investigates how affective ties are shaped, by whom, and with what implications for social belonging. The paper draws on the first six months of a twelve-month ethnographic fieldwork project (2025–2026) conducted as part of a PhD in social anthropology. Methods include participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and an ongoing literature review.
It argues that intimate relationships constitute a key site through which structural norms are reproduced, negotiated, and transformed. Drawing on Sara Ahmed’s (2004) concept of “sticky emotions,” the paper approaches love as an affect that circulates and adheres to social forms, including the nation, kinship structures, and marital ideals. In Tajikistan, love becomes attached to state-promoted notions such as muhabbat ba vatan (love for the motherland), as well as to maternal and familial roles, reinforcing moral and civic expectations. Love is highly visible in everyday life, circulating through films, consumer goods, and gossip. Different forms of mobility unsettle affective attachments, with younger generations increasingly challenging arranged marriage practices and asserting greater agency in partner selection. Migration-related separations also contribute to the emergence of new intimate configurations, including the growing prevalence of polygamous marriages.
By foregrounding love as both an affective and social force, this paper contributes to broader debates in the anthropology of intimacy and mobility. It draws on ethnographic examples to show how global mobility reshapes intimate life, marriage, and belonging in contemporary Tajikistan.
Abstract
This paper is devoted to exploring problems of access to healthcare for refugees in Finland. Refugees encounter structural, infrastructural, and bureaucratic barriers that are further intensified by welfare nationalism and neoliberal logics framing welfare as a limited resource distributed among locals and the newcomers through zero-sum dynamics. In our research, we consider how morally based solidarities among refugees, healthcare workers and mediators impact access of refugees to healthcare in line with established rules or in contradiction to them.
Drawing on qualitative data from semi-structured interviews conducted in Finland (2023–2025) with Ukrainian refugees suffering from chronic illnesses, healthcare professionals, and a wide range of mediators (including volunteers, translators, and local residents), the research explores how access to healthcare is achieved in practice. We argue that refugees' search for access to healthcare occurs with the participation and assistance of other actors. Solidarities arise among the actors through the convergence of their moral positions and prove to be a vital resource for ensuring access to medical care.
Such convergence is grounded in several key moral foundations, including (1) humanitarian values emphasizing the primacy of life and suffering (individual level), (2) critiques of institutional inadequacies framed in terms of justice, deservingness, and inclusion (institutional level), and (3) the moral legitimation of the refugees’ claims to welfare resources (structural level). These interactions generate what we conceptualize as a “moral infrastructure” of healthcare access, which operates through informal practices such as out-of-hours care, financial assistance, translation support, and formal assistance in bureaucratic navigation.
The analysis contributes to subject-centered approaches in migration studies and social policy research by foregrounding refugees as active agents whose moral frameworks shape their interactions with welfare institutions and other actors. It also advances the sociology of morality by demonstrating how moral evaluations function both as a basis for solidarity and as a site of contestation within welfare regimes. We argue that morality does not merely complement legal regulation but actively reconfigures it, enabling access where formal rules are lacking, inactive, or restrict access. In doing so, the research challenges neoliberal assumptions about welfare as “a limited good”, showing instead how morally grounded solidarities expand the practical boundaries of welfare provision.
Abstract
As of March 2011, some of the Circassians who were forced to leave their country due to the civil war and unrest in Syria have returned to their homeland, the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic of the Russian Federation. Some of those who returned either went to other countries or returned to their countries of origin. However, some preferred to stay in their ancestral lands, from which they were expelled during the Great Circassian Exile of 1864, and re-established themselves in the Nalchik province and its districts and villages. This study focuses on the life stories of these Circassian families who returned to their homeland, the language and social adaptation problems they faced, employment opportunities, participation in cultural and artistic activities, and social issues such as social acceptance and marginalization. This study is based on data obtained from in-depth interviews with 15 families and their individuals selected through sociological sampling, using semi-structured questions. The study argues that while return has forced Syrian refugees to learn Russian as a new language and become acquainted with the laws of the Russian Federation, living in their homeland has provided gains in terms of their sense of belonging and self-identification with Circassian identity. However, it also suggests that they still maintain the hybrid Arab-Circassian behavioral habits into which they were born and raised.
Keywords: Syrian identity, refugee status, Circassian identity, homeland, Nalchik
P.S:This study will also be presented as a panel proposal at DAVO1.
Abstract
This paper presents a typology of male domestic violence offenders in Kazakhstan using a sequence analysis approach. In 2023, more than 99,000 complaints of domestic violence were recorded by law enforcement agencies, and in 2024 this number exceeded 100,000. Despite the scale of the problem, longitudinal patterns of offending and the structure of offenders’ trajectories remain insufficiently studied.
The analysis draws on unique administrative records of domestic violence-related offenses from January 2020 to July 2024, provided by the Committee on Legal Statistics and Special Accounts of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The study focuses on male offenders and does not include information on the relationship between offenders and victims.
The research applies life-course criminology to conceptualize offending as a dynamic process unfolding over time. Sequence analysis is used to reconstruct ordered histories of administrative offenses and to identify distinct trajectory types. The study is designed to compare three groups: (1) offenders involved in domestic violence, (2) repeat offenders in domestic violence, and (3) offenders without such incidents.
Preliminary results for repeat offenders reveal stable combinations of domestic violence, child-related offenses, traffic violations, and alcohol-related incidents. Four trajectory types are identified: “specialists” in domestic violence, “specialists” in child-related offenses, “versatile” offenders, and offenders with sporadic incidents. Comparative analysis across groups will clarify how these patterns differ depending on involvement in domestic violence.
The findings demonstrate that sequence-based typologies can capture qualitative differences in offending trajectories beyond frequency measures. The study contributes to understanding offender heterogeneity and provides a basis for identifying risk groups and developing prevention strategies in the context of administrative regulation of domestic violence in Kazakhstan.
Key words: domestic violence, male offenders, law enforcement data, Kazakhstan, sequence analysis
Abstract
My thesis project revolves around Turkestan city in the south of Kazakhstan. Specifically, it looks at the intersection between Islam and Kazakh traditions, and how religious views and norms as well as traditions affect the social interactions between men and women in this particular city. In a daily situation, for example in a workplace or a school setting, which forces or factors determine how men and women will interact with each other? Is religion or Kazakh tradition and upbringing more influential? Turkestan is an interesting research site as it is the home to the Turkic Sufi leader Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, while it is also rapidly becoming a developing city. The research question is “how does the religious and the social space of Turkestan city impact the values and social behaviours of citizens of Turkestan city?”. The research method I have used is a qualitative method. I conducted semi-structured interviews with informants that were mainly connected with the educational institution of Bilim Innovation Lyceum in Turkestan.
Abstract
This book focuses on the discussion surrounding the migration and settlement of Koreans within the Korean diaspora in the former Soviet region, a topic that has persisted historically and is ongoing. It is important to thoroughly examine the historical characteristics of these groups, the social changes they have experienced, and the characteristics of their host country or society when discussing this topic. These groups have traditionally responded to the assimilation policies put in place by Imperial Russia, the Soviet Union, and the former Soviet states as members of ethnic minority populations. Moreover, their identities have become increasingly varied as a direct result of these experiences. Furthermore, these groups are currently in the process of resettling in their ancestral territories. Moreover, globalization has contributed to the expansion of their diasporas’ geographic scope. The aggregation of diverse migration experiences has influenced the migration trends of future generations. These factors are crucial elements that should be taken into account in the discourse on their migration and settlement. It is crucial to carefully assess these elements in relation to their integration or coexistence within the host society. This endeavor is essential for fostering integration, coexistence, and diversity in an increasingly complex and diverse society, as it can facilitate understanding of the different groups within that society.