Ethnic identity and socio-linguistic: Multi-ethnic conflicts in Kazakhstan
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Abstract
Kazakhstan Republic is the ninth biggest country in territorial extension and it is also an important communication link between Eastern and Western countries because of its situation. The strong migration, both natural and forced movements since the 19th century, has influenced this country, has set it today as a melting pot of cultures and ethnic groups, having to live up to a total of 130 different ethnic groups. This circumstance has favored, from the Government of Kazakhstan, social policies, such as the creation of the «Assembly of peoples» where all ethnicities are represented, in order to try to establish a peaceful coexistence between different cultures which allows them to move from a multi-ethnic society to an inter-ethnic society.
In this context is where the research is registered, the one which was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Kazakhstan to the Institute for Socio-Political Research, and to the authors of this article which have participated in this.
The objective of this study was to detect those situations which we could call «significant multicultural situations» (Giménez 1997) in the daily reality of the population and which could be at the origin of the multicultural conflicts. In short, those conflict situations where the distinctive cultural component is the central axis in which the social agents, involved in the problem, take part.
The results of this research are those which are intended to present to understand multicultural reality and can help social policies that are designed to be able to take the step towards «interculturality» of Kazakh society and obtain a peaceful coexistence based on respect for each other.