Cynthia Werner

The Kazakhs of Western Mongolia: Transnational Migration from 1990-2008

The Kazakhs are the largest minority group in Mongolia, a relatively homogenous country dominated by Khalkh Mongols. Since 1991, Mongolia has transitioned politically and economically and witnessed significant changes in internal and international migration flows. The large-scale movement of ethnic Kazakhs from Western Mongolia to Kazakhstan represents one such emerging international flow. This migration is influenced by economic motivations, historical cultural ties to Kazakhstan, and immigration policies of both countries. This paper assesses the local and national circumstances that shape migration decision-making in Western Mongolia during the transition years and highlights changes in the characteristics and directions of migration flows during this time. We identify three periods of migration with each period characterized by changing economies and national policies in Mongolia and Kazakhstan, as well as changes in communications technologies and extensiveness of social networks among prospective migrants. These periods illustrate how transnational migration flows evolve through time and are affected by national, local, and individual circumstances.

Radionuclide contamination at Kazakhstan's semipalatinsk test site: Implications on human and ecological health

A delegation of five scientists participated in a U.S. National Research Council program to review the status of research on the health and environmental impacts of nuclear testing at the Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS) in the eastern region of the Republic of Kazakhstan. From 11 August through 25 August 2000, we visited several research institutes in Kazakhstan and consulted with numerous Kazakh researchers from academic disciplines ranging from radioecology to public health and medicine. We focused on reviewing data on the health and environmental impacts resulting from the testing. The health effects caused by the testing at STS have received a fair amount of study, and research using modern techniques such as fluorescence in situ hybridization and nuclear magnetic resonance will likely increase the reliability of dose reconstruction. However, the extent to which the STS is contaminated has not been adequately characterized, and the potential exposure to nomadic peoples and ecological receptors at the uncontrolled test site is not known. Additional research in these areas, and development of administrative controls for the site, appears warranted.

After the Cold War: international politics, domestic policy and the nuclear legacy in Kazakhstan

Since Kazakhstan gained independence in 1991, President Nursultan Nazarbaev has repeatedly defined his presidency to the outside world in relation to the nuclear legacy. In lieu of making significant progress towards democratic reform, Nazarbaev has taken great pride in his efforts to close the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site and to make Kazakhstan a ‘model non-proliferation state’ by ridding the country of nuclear weapons and enriched uranium. Domestic policy towards radiation victims is made within this larger foreign policy context. The same international players, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), that have assisted with the removal of weapons and uranium have played a role in defining how Kazakhstan should deal with its radiation victims and contaminated territories. In particular, international ‘experts’ have helped to assess the current levels of environmental contamination, to evaluate the impact of radiation on human health and to develop social development programmes. For the radiation victims, however, the use of international expertise has tended to minimize the scope of the problem and, consequently, the government’s response to victims has been much less than one might expect, given the prominence of this issue in the national political discourse. This is particularly true when it comes to efforts to reduce radiation risks within rural areas. Further, radiation victims have also been disadvantaged due to a fundamental contradiction between the social policies that are developed to assist victims and the economic policies recommended by international development experts. This paper combines a political ecology approach with insights from the risk perception literature in order to analyse the domestic and foreign policies that have developed in response to the nuclear legacy in post-Soviet Kazakhstan. A political ecology approach is ideal for understanding the environmental and health consequences of nuclear testing due to its emphasis on the interaction between political and ecological processes and the interconnections between macro and micro levels of analysis. Unlike ecological problems associated with industrialization, the environmental and health problems associated with Central Asian Survey (December 2006) 25(4), 461–480

Choosing to Stay: (Im)Mobility Decisions Amongst Mongolia’s Ethnic Kazakhs

Abstract One of the defining characteristics of globalization is the increased flow of migrants across international borders. Fluctuating migration flows in rural communities of the Global South have the potential to significantly contribute to or undermine the livelihoods of local residents. Households that choose not to migrate, that remain immobile, play a key role in sustaining rural communities. Migration studies in the Global South, however, have largely neglected these households. Utilizing questionnaire and life history interview data collected between 2006 and 2009, we examine immobility amongst the Kazakh ethnic minority population in rural Mongolia. Our findings challenge the dichotomous portrayal of immobile households as either ‘left behind’ or ‘embedded’ within their community, providing evidence that immobility decisions are both fluid and flexible and require more interrogation from scholars. Our findings help broaden the social and cultural context in which immobility studies are conducted and the characterization of immobility amongst non-migrant populations. More broadly, this study contributes to our understanding of the implications to livelihood sustainability in rural communities.

Discovering a sense of well-being through the revival of Islam: profiles of Kazakh imams in Western Mongolia

Throughout Central Asia, the end of communism has been marked by a significant change in the management and influence of local mosques. In many rural areas, small underground mosques operated by informally trained, elderly moldas have been supplanted by newly constructed mosques led by younger, foreign-educated local imams and financed by governmental and private donations from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and other countries. From several perspectives, this ‘revival’ of Islam is characterized in a way that implies that increased religiosity and piety is somewhat problematic. In this essay, based on six months of ethnographic fieldwork in Western Mongolia, we argue that such an approach prevents an understanding of how religious changes are enhancing the social and material well-being of certain actors. We explore the utility of the concept of well-being by focusing on the everyday lives of Kazakh imams in Western Mongolia. Approximately 100,000 ethnic Kazakhs live in the Western Mongolian province of Bayan-Ölgii, where they comprise about 80% of the population. Although a significant portion of the population has been migrating to Kazakhstan in the post-socialist period, the Kazakhs who choose to remain in Mongolia have experienced a significant increase in religious freedom. In this context, the new cohort of imams is playing an important mediating role as members of the local population reinterpret and renegotiate their identity as Muslims. In addition to finding spiritual well-being through their knowledge of Islam, these imams are acquiring social status and economic security from their local roles as religious leaders and through their transnational connections with a broader Muslim community.

Negotiating Everyday Islam After Socialism: A Study of the Kazakhs of Bayan-Ulgii, Mongolia

Using ethnographic interviews and participant observation among the Kazakh community of western Mongolia, we examine how everyday Islamic practices have been reinterpreted and reconfigured following the demise of socialism and the influx of external Islamic influences. This essay considers the local, national, and transnational dynamics that have come into play as “traditional” or local forms of Islam associated with the post-socialist spaces, including Mongolia, have encountered “global” forms of Islam from abroad. We argue that Islam in Bayan-Ulgii is integral to community and ethnic identity, but also multifaceted, dynamic and multi-scalar. This study contributes to scholarly discussions about Islam in Central Asia that challenge essentialist portrayals of Islam and create a simplistic dichotomy between “high” and “low” forms of Islam.

Bride kidnapping in post-Soviet Eurasia: a roundtable discussion

ABSTRACT Throughout Eurasia, bride kidnapping continues to be a fairly common way to get married. The practice is becoming increasingly controversial. Some local actors argue the practice is a cultural tradition, while others question its acceptability, particularly when a woman is forced to marry against her will. Many scholars, journalists and non-governmental organization workers view non-consensual variations of bride kidnapping as a form of gender-based violence. In October 2016, an interdisciplinary group of scholars gathered at the annual Central Eurasia Studies Society conference to assess existing scholarship on bride kidnapping in post-Soviet Eurasia. Using an innovative format, this paper offers an edited transcript of that roundtable discussion. The roundtable format provides readers an opportunity to see a diverse range of perspectives and opinions in response to several questions about bride kidnapping. This paper provides a thorough introduction to key issues surrounding bride kidnapping and offers suggestions for areas that need further exploration.