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174
discussions and publications in the former capital, lamenting the decline of Kazakh national identity in Almaty and Kazakhstan in general.
Secondly, the sheer magnitude of consumerism culture of Almaty compared to the rest of the country also has a significant effect on its identity. It is demonstrated in the absolute dominance of Almaty in the retail sector of economy in Kazakhstan. The retail turnaround per capita in the former capital dwarfs any other part of the country, in 2009, 4 times the country’s average,231 and more than twice of the closest competitor in this respect – Astana. (Regiony Kazakhstana v 2009 godu, 2010, p. 297) As a matter of fact, such level of consumerism in Almaty gives its residents an immense feeling of satisfaction if not outright smugness. While there is a lot of room for improvement in the service sector, there is a vast difference in the quality of service in Almaty compared to the rest of the republic – Astana included. There is no denying that the service industry in the former capital has gained notoriety by earning the city’s residents a reputation of beings snobs since they do expect a rather high level of service wherever they go. As a result, Almaty’s residents are easily identifiable when they visit other parts of the country by the higher-than-average expectations from service personnel and a slight air of superiority they are eager to display at the stores and markets of towns other than Almaty. Such preoccupation with consuming goods and services is not exclusive but rather specific to the former capital and very distinct from the austere traditions of the nomad Kazakhs of the past and the utter poverty among the rural Kazakhs of today.
231 4.7 times at peak in 2008! 2009 number is smaller due to the effects of the global economic crisis which caused a worldwide downturn in consumer confidence and consumption levels.
Object Description
| Title | Market reforms, foreign direct investment and national identity: Non-national identity of Kazakhstan |
| Author | Zhanalin, Azamat |
| Author email | janalin_a@yahoo.com; zhanalin@gmail.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | International Relations |
| School | College of Letters, Arts and Sciences |
| Date defended/completed | 2011-03-22 |
| Date submitted | 2011 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2011-04-29 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | English, Robert |
| Advisor (committee member) |
James, Patrick Rorlich, Azade-Ayse |
| Abstract | The present study offers an analysis of the concept of non-national identity in application to the Republic of Kazakhstan as the most likely case. The primary hypothesis is that newly independent states, which are undergoing a rapid transition to market economy and actively pursue integration in the world economy and foreign direct investment, will experience fragmentation of their national identity, defined as non-national identity.; Three sites in Kazakhstan, Almaty, Astana and Aktau, were chosen for the study as representative of the market reforms in the republic as well as the best examples of the country’s pursuit of foreign direct investment and integration into the global economy. The data collected indicates that while Kazakhstan does demonstrate fragmentation of its national identity, it is not necessarily caused by the market reforms and the participation in the global trade. Alternative causal variables such as the Soviet and Russian colonial legacy, intra-ethnic cleavages among the Kazakhs and the prevalence of multi-vector foreign policy were found to contribute to the development of non-national identity of Kazakhstan. The study’s results also suggest that in the last few years, Kazakh identity is experiencing a rather strong revival as well, which may yet counteract the existing factors leading to the emergence of the non-national identity of Kazakhstan. |
| Keyword | identity; nationalism; Kazakhstan; market reforms; globalization; foreign direct investment; national identity; countries in transition; foreign policy; culture; former Soviet Union; Central Asia; patronage networks; energy; oil; post-colonial legacy; nation-state |
| Geographic subject (city or populated place) | Almaty; Astana; Aktau |
| Geographic subject (country) | Kazakhstan |
| Coverage date | 1970/2010 |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m3812 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Zhanalin, Azamat |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Zhanalin-4506 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume51/etd-Zhanalin-4506.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 180 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 174 discussions and publications in the former capital, lamenting the decline of Kazakh national identity in Almaty and Kazakhstan in general. Secondly, the sheer magnitude of consumerism culture of Almaty compared to the rest of the country also has a significant effect on its identity. It is demonstrated in the absolute dominance of Almaty in the retail sector of economy in Kazakhstan. The retail turnaround per capita in the former capital dwarfs any other part of the country, in 2009, 4 times the country’s average,231 and more than twice of the closest competitor in this respect – Astana. (Regiony Kazakhstana v 2009 godu, 2010, p. 297) As a matter of fact, such level of consumerism in Almaty gives its residents an immense feeling of satisfaction if not outright smugness. While there is a lot of room for improvement in the service sector, there is a vast difference in the quality of service in Almaty compared to the rest of the republic – Astana included. There is no denying that the service industry in the former capital has gained notoriety by earning the city’s residents a reputation of beings snobs since they do expect a rather high level of service wherever they go. As a result, Almaty’s residents are easily identifiable when they visit other parts of the country by the higher-than-average expectations from service personnel and a slight air of superiority they are eager to display at the stores and markets of towns other than Almaty. Such preoccupation with consuming goods and services is not exclusive but rather specific to the former capital and very distinct from the austere traditions of the nomad Kazakhs of the past and the utter poverty among the rural Kazakhs of today. 231 4.7 times at peak in 2008! 2009 number is smaller due to the effects of the global economic crisis which caused a worldwide downturn in consumer confidence and consumption levels. |
