Welcome to my blog post about the secondment experience at Zhetysu University in Kazakhstan!
My name is Marina Perglova. I am a PhD student at Charles University in Prague, Department of Russian and East European Studies. As part of the “MOCCA: Multilevel Orders of Corruption in Central Asia“ project, I was lucky enough to visit Zhetysu University in Taldykorgan (Kazakhstan) for a period of almost two months (07/10/2023-08/31/2023). Taldykorgan is a small city with a population of about 140 thousand people, located 3-4 hours’ drive from Almaty, and is the centre of the Zhetysu region. This is a fairly green city with a very diverse ethnic composition of the population, which adds to the uniqueness of this place. The city’s favourable location also allowed me to travel to Almaty several times.
Zhetysu University in Taldykorgan
In Taldykorgan and Almaty, I conducted field research among local Russian youth to identify the characteristics of the anti-corruption consciousness of the younger generation. I collected about 20 semi-structured and informal interviews with local youth during the research. The choice of topic was determined primarily by the fact that young people appear as the most socially active and developing part of society, which, in turn, should become a source of future transformations. Studying the issue of values and perceptions of young people is of great importance both for understanding current social processes in society and for practical application – the formation and timely transformation of the state’s youth policy.
The main problem in conducting the research was the search for respondents, which was complicated by the sensitivity of the research topic and distrust on the part of young people, so the first two weeks were devoted mainly to adaptation and implementation into the youth environment, as well as gaining their trust. Other project participants who work at Zhetysu University also helped me find respondents. I was pleasantly surprised by how the university staff met me, although it was summertime and many of them were on vacation, and throughout my stay in Kazakhstan, they tried to help me with my research. For example, Nazgul Baigabatova helped me organize a meeting at the House of Friendship („Дом дружбы“), where I met both with representatives of the Almaty Regional Russian Center and with local Russian youth in Taldykorgan, which also contributed to finding the first respondents for my research.
However, various unforeseen situations arose during my secondment that could be perceived more as adventures. So, for example, on the first day, I arrived after a long flight from Prague to Almaty with a transfer to Antalya and then drove to Taldykorgan in the heat of +40 degrees. For example, when we were travelling by local bus from Taldykorgan to Almaty and our engine overheated, we could not go further. We stayed halfway to Almaty in the desert in +40 heat without a signal. It was an unforgettable adventure. But we met other fellow travellers and had quite an interesting time. After 2 hours, another bus came for us. 😄
In addition to the field research, as I mentioned above, I had the opportunity to meet many other participants in both this project and the Central Asian Law project from Switzerland and Turkey who also conducted research in Taldykorgan, and make friendly contacts for possible future cooperation. We lived as one family in a guest house, and every day, we exchanged experience and knowledge, discussed our research, the latest news, what was new in the dormitory, local camels, where the most delicious Lagman, etc. 🙂
Thanks to this secondment, I discovered Kazakhstan! It is a wonderful country for both visiting and tourism and for research. Excellent cuisine, which is actually a mixture of cuisines of the peoples of Central Asia, East Slavic cuisine, Turkish, Uyghur, etc. The hospitality of the Kazakh people is admirable. Of course, it is worth noting a completely different rhythm of life, more silence, relaxation, and nature. It was a very pleasant place with its own local flavor, and interesting for research.
Local camels
Local Lagman