Government Failures Exacerbating Ethnic Relations in Kazakhstan, Beysembayev Says

 Paul Goble

            Staunton, Oct. 23 – Kazakhstan faces a rising ride of nationalism among both its dominant community and minorities; but instead of reining it in by policies designed to overcome the income inequality that lies behind most of it, Nur Sultan and its agents are exacerbating the problem by their ineffective responses, Serik Beyseymbayev says.

            The factors underlying the growth of nationalism are obvious, but instead of addressing them, the Kazakhstan government is blaming criminal elements for specific problems and its local and regional officials are making the situation worse in almost every case, the Kazakh sociologist says (365info.kz/2021/10/prichiny-natsionalizma-v-kazahstane-glazami-sotsiologa).

            Several years ago, Beysembayev says, he conducted a study in the country’s Turkestan Oblast where there had been clashes between ethnic Kazakhs and several minorities. “We discovered that dissatisfaction with the authorities was one of the key factors behind this situation.”

            Often, he says, Kazakh officials there and elsewhere blame the victim, suggesting that those who are the targets of attacks by the Kazakh minority are somehow responsible for this situation. “I do not agree with this as there is no research which would confirm this point of view.”

            Moreover, the sociologist continues, there is every sign that repeating this false analysis or promoting policies designed to destroy ethnic enclaves, as Nur Sultan now is will only make the situation. In many ways, blaming the victim is allowing the regime to avoid addressing the key problems related to income inequality.

            “When we speak about inequality, we mostly have in mind socio-economic inequality in the southern regions where there is a deficit of land and water” and where there is also “an unfavorable situation in the labor market.” Blaming those who are of a different ethnicity is a way of avoiding addressing these underlying problems.

            The situation has been deteriorating ever since the government began to speak about the Kazakhs as “the state-forming nationality,” an idea that implicitly carries with it the nation that “other ethnic groups somehow must occupy a subordinate position.” Such rhetoric is “very popular” not only in the population but among official, Beysembayev says.

            The language issue is simply shorthand for this, allowing as it does an easy way to divide people into “us” and “them.” If Kazakhstan is to be successful and avoid more ethnic clashes, it must dispense with the idea of a state-forming nationality and come up with a more inclusive definition of membership in the social and political community.