Contemporary Kazaks: Cultural and Social Perspectives

The articles in this book examine the lives of rural and urban Kazaks. Svanberg (East European studies, Uppsala U., Sweden) and several counterparts in anthropology, ethnography, and history discuss the various ways the Kazak way of life has changed since independence. Essays include a review of contemporary Kazakstan and the Kazak people, a discussion of the role of feasts and gift exchange among rural Kazaks, and an analysis of an ethnic enclave of Kazaks in Western Mongolia that has maintained a more traditional way of life than their counterparts in Kazakstan.

Ingvar Svanberg teaches in the Department of East European Studies, Uppsala University, Sweden.