In the Shadow of War: Exploring Perceptions of Soviet Rule in Central Asia among Ethnic Qazaqs

• In Event: Post-Imperial Reckonings: Decolonization, Memory, and Russian Influence

Abstract

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia has propelled reassessments of Russia’s historical and contemporary relations throughout the former Soviet sphere. How should the Soviet era in Central Asia be understood and represented – as a period of socialist modernization, a time of colonial domination, a combination of both, or some other categorization? We analyze data from in-depth interviews with ethnic Qazaqs conducted in Almaty in the summer of 2023. Our interviews reveal a connection between views about the Russo-Ukrainian war and assessments of the Soviet period. Those critical of Russia’s invasion are also more likely to have critical perspectives on the Soviet rule in Qazaqstan. We also find patterns of intragenerational and intra-ethnic variation that mirror broader variation in international and scholarly assessments of the Soviet era. Older Russian- speaking Qazaqs view the Soviet era most positively, contrasted with older Qazaq-speakers and young Russian and Qazaq speakers. They are also less likely to view the Soviet era as a period of colonial rule. Among all groups, Soviet-era oppression of the Qazaq language was most commonly mentioned negative aspect of the Soviet rule. Overall, the invasion appears to have brought views about the Soviet era to the surface in Qazaq public opinion, and generated a belief that handling the relationship to Russia is an increasingly fraught political matter for Astana.

Author

• Azamat Junisbai, Pitzer College