ON THE ISSUE OF INTERETHNIC TENSION IN THE ALMATY REGION OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

This report examines the causes of interethnic tension in the Almaty Region of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Primary attention is paid to both objective and subjective factors contributing to their emergence. Naturally, they are directly and indirectly affected by the consequences of transitional market relations that arose following the collapse of the former totalitarian Soviet state and the formation of post-Soviet states. On the other hand, the status of the titular nation is influenced by the so-called Soviet international policy, which ignored the interests of indigenous ethnic groups that achieved actual independence. It should also be noted that, over a century and a half of Tsarist Russia and the totalitarian USSR, as a result of specific migration policies and the forcible deportation of several dozen ethnicities, Kazakhs became a minority population in their republic.

With the country's sovereignty, the transformation of Kazakhs into a titular ethnic group leads to the fact that some peoples living together, including their younger and middle generations, objectively misunderstand this change. This negative process, firstly, with the weakening of the culture of interethnic relations and the loss of ethnic memory formed among them over an extended historical-chronological time, precedes the older generation who experienced all life's hardships in those challenging times. Secondly, there is a lack of basic respectful attitude towards the indigenous Kazakh ethnic group, known for significant tolerance and confessional tolerance, from the youth of other nationalities and partly from representatives of the middle stratum. In the context of polyethnic Kazakhstan, the emergence of interethnic conflicts is perceived not only by authoritative structures but also by the public, as well as representatives of ethnic minorities, ethnocultural centers, and the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan.