Clan Politics in Kazakhstan: How Does Youth in Nur-Sultan Cope with Traditional Structures of Social Domination?

This thesis explores how youth in Nur-Sultan understands and approaches clan politics and associated traditions in Kazakhstan. This qualitative study guided by the interpretivist methodology is a contribution to the large field of Central Asian studies and, in particular, to the literature focusing on the intersection of politics and culture. The thesis focuses on the interpretation of politics and traditional domination by young citizens of Kazakhstan living in its capital. Empirical evidence is drawn from observation and interviews of various types conducted during my two-week intensive fieldwork in Nur-Sultan in February 2020. My findings – based on observations and unstructured interviews – hint at a strong mistrust of the interviewed youngsters in politics, despite their proximity to traditions. My results also reveal the tensions between youth and traditional institutions of both formal and informal characters. Policymakers and senior officials are often perceived as autonomous actors playing by their own rules, which are only supported by young people who have personal interests for - or in - power. Young people acting as moral entrepreneurs for the sake of traditions’ perpetuation, and those who aim at making a career in public affairs, are indeed both interested in the regime’s sustainability. Personal testimonies provided by the interviewees offer rare insights of Nur-Sultan youth’s understanding of politics and traditions and help uncover interesting dynamics in the evolution of this generation.