Paper short abstract:

Through an exploration of oral history, art exhibitions, and documentaries, this paper illuminates how residents of Berezovka, impacted by the Karachaganak oil and gas condensate field, perceive and navigate the complex narratives around their land's past, present, and future.

Paper long abstract:

Berezovka was a small village in Western Kazakhtan, located on the edge of the Karachaganak oil-and-gas field operated by Karachaganak Petroleum Operating consortium — that has been fined by the government for violations of environmental safety standards — within the 5000 metres radius of the Sanitary Protection Zone. Prompted by concerns regarding chronic health problems arising from gas emissions and the appearance of multiple sinkholes near their houses, residents initiated efforts to be relocated to a safe place in the 2000s, and local environmental organisations, with the support of Crude Accountability, advocated for urgent measures to address the issues. During 2015-2018, the villagers were relocated following a mass poisoning of children incident in 2014. As a precautionary measure, the houses in Berezovka were demolished to discourage individuals from returning.

This paper approaches the complexities of territories by looking at a case where various risks converge, at a place that encountered dangers manifesting both below and above the ground — dangers, sometimes subtle, sometimes evident, that traverse vertically and horizontally and penetrate different layers. It aims to unravel how individuals navigate the histories of their altered land, and make sense of the present, that consist of many unresolved political, social and emotional issues related to fears, grief and trust, but also to expertise and production of knowledge. By examining several documentaries (produced by environmental organisations and locals), interviews, and art exhibitions, this paper sheds light on the interconnected narratives of environmental and social exploitation, as well as activism in Western Kazakhstan.