INTEGRATION OF ETHNIC REPATRIATES (KANDAS) IN KAZAKHSTAN (BASED ON THE RESULTS OF A SOCIO-ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDY)

Abstract

This article examines the integration process of ethnic repatriates (kandas) into Kazakhstani society through the lens of social recognition and identity formation. The study aims to analyze the specific features of the social adaptation of ethnic repatriates following their relocation to their historical homeland and to identify the impact of recognition by the host society on integration processes. Although Kazakhstan’s state policy aimed at the reception and support of kandas includes long-term institutional support mechanisms, legal status provision measures, and a system of social benefits, the findings of this study indicate that formal integration mechanisms do not always ensure the full inclusion of ethnic repatriates into the social environment.

The study is based on materials obtained through a qualitative socio-anthropological investigation conducted across various regions of Kazakhstan between 2023 and 2025. The empirical basis consists of more than thirty narrative-biographical interviews conducted with kandas residing in the city of Esik (Almaty Region), the village of Shygys (East Kazakhstan Region), and the town of Sergeevka (North Kazakhstan Region). The analysis focused on respondents’ migration experiences, processes of social adaptation, patterns of everyday communicative interaction, and subjective perceptions of recognition by the host society.

The theoretical and methodological framework of the study is grounded in Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition. This approach makes it possible to conceptualize integration as a multidimensional social process extending beyond legal status to encompass emotional acceptance, social valuation, and the development of a sense of social belonging. The findings reveal the persistence of a substantial gap between institutional integration and everyday social recognition, a condition that may reinforce the risks of social isolation among ethnic repatriates. The article concludes that the successful integration of ethnic repatriates requires not only the improvement of institutional support mechanisms but also the creation of a dialogical social space grounded in social recognition and the acceptance of kandas as full and equal members of society.

Funding: This research article was prepared within the framework of
Program BR31714927, “Multidimensional Identity and Public Consensus in the
Societal Context of Kazakhstan’s Dynamics: Exploring Models of Civic Unity under
Hybrid Challenges,” implemented to support the funding of research organizations
conducting fundamental scientific research for 2026–2028 by the Ministry of Science
and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan