This social and cultural analysis provides a new understanding of Kazakhstan's younger generations that emerged during the rule of Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has been presiding over Kazakhstan for the thirty years since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Half of Kazakhstan's population was born after he took power and have no direct memory of the Soviet regime. Since the early 2000s, they have lived in a world of political stability and relative material affluence, and have developed a strong consumerist culture. Even with growing government restrictions on media, religion, and formal public expression, they have been raised in a comparatively free country. This book offers the first collective study of the "Nazarbayev Generation," illuminating the diversity of the country's younger generations and the transformations of social and cultural norms that have taken place over the course of three decades. The contributors to this collection move away from state-centric, top-down perspectives in favor of grassroots realities and bottom-up dynamics in order to better integrate sociological data.
Introduction: "The Nazarbayev Generation: A Sociological Portrait," by Marlene Laruelle Part I: Kazakhstani Youth and National Identity Chapter 1: "Are Youth Different? The Nazarbayev Generation and Public Opinion," by Barbara Junisbai and Azamat Junisbai Chapter 2: "Youth and National Identity: Then and Now," by Aziz Burkhanov Chapter 3: "Youth and Civic National Identity," by Dina Sharipova Chapter 4: "Mankurts, Kazakh 'Russians' and 'Shala' Kazakhs: Language, National Identity, and Ethnicity Revisited," by Diana T. Kudaibergenova Part II: Youth Voices on Moral Changes Chapter 5: "'We Love Our Country in Our Own Way': Youth, Gender, and Nationalism," by Ulan Bigozhin Chapter 6: "'Cognitive Unconscious,' 'Modern Conservatism,' and 'Core Liberal Values' in the Context of Chapter 7: "Youth's National Identity," by Galym Zhussipbek and Zhanar Nagayeva Chapter 8: "Contours of Ethnonational Landscapes in Three Cities: Youths' Perspectives on Ethnic and Social Integration," by Reuel R. Hanks Part III: Globalization and Cultural Blending Chapter 9: "Cultural Globalization and Youth Identity Construction," by Nazgul Mingisheva Chapter 10: "Visions of Nationhood: Youth, Identity, and Kazakh Popular Music," by Sabina Insebayeva Chapter 11: "Return Migration from the United States: Exploring the Dynamics of Cultural Change," by Doug Blum Chapter 12: "The Kazakhstan Now! Hybridity and Hipsters in Almaty: Negotiating Global and Local Lives," by Rico Isaacs Part IV: Youth Activism Chapter 13: "#Hashtag Activism: Youth, Social Media, and Politics," by Daniyar Kosnazarov Chapter 14: "Contemporary Art as a Public Forum," by Alexandra Tsay Chapter 15: "Overcoming a Taboo: Normalizing Sexuality Education," by Karlygash Kabatova
