Adaptation of ethnic kazakhs from China in the Karaganda region

Abstract

Following its independence in 1991, Kazakhstan launched an extensive repatriation initiative designed to motivate ethnic Kazakhs residing overseas to come back to their ancestral homeland. Even though these migrants have a shared ethnic identity with the local community, their experiences of adaptation expose various unforeseen difficulties. This article explores the migration and adjustment experiences of ethnic Kazakh migrants from China who moved to the Karaganda region from 1991 to 2021.
The research utilizes a mixed-methods strategy that integrates statistical data, archival resources, and comprehensive interviews with migrants. The results indicate that, even with ethnic and linguistic closeness, returning migrants face multiple obstacles in the job market, administrative processes, and daily social exchanges. Particular attention is paid to the role of migration networks in shaping mobility decisions and settlement patterns. At the same time, the analysis traces how linguistic repertoires, the uneven reach of institutional support, and subtle socio-cultural divergences condition divergent integration outcomes.
By situating these dynamics within both historical legacies and the post-Soviet institutional landscape, the article advances ongoing debates on ethnic return migration. It demonstrates that integration processes in contemporary Kazakhstan are not merely a function of ethnic proximity, but are instead mediated by historically sedimented practices and evolving governance regimes.