Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Territorialization of Identity and Repatriation Decisions of Mongolian Kazakhs

身份和领土之间的关系在很大程度上被忽视了，但在全球化的世界中，它具有深远的和日益重要的意义。随着国际边界变得更加漏洞百出，越来越多的人居住在远离其传统祖国的地方，一个根本性的问题出现了，即身份和领土之间的“纽带”的重要性。这个问题最容易通过审查在遣返期间散居的群体内身份的非属地化和重新属地化来解决。蒙古族-哈萨克族代表了这样一个群体，具有一系列额外突出的特征。首先，蒙古的哈萨克人在他们的祖先逃离斯大林时代的集体化运动之后，已经在他们的故乡之外生活了70多年。其次，哈萨克族最近才开始在苏联建立的祖国哈萨克斯坦共和国境内实行国有化。第三，哈萨克斯坦的突然独立和政府的积极遣返运动为调查哈萨克人在哈萨克斯坦内外通过形成家园概念及其往往有争议的考虑而丧失和重新获得领土身份提供了一个历史机会。这一博士论文研究项目将考察那些选择遣返回哈萨克斯坦的蒙古族哈萨克人，那些选择留在蒙古的人，以及那些选择在试图遣返后返回蒙古的人。这个项目将结合调查、深度访谈和档案研究方法来三角测量这个复杂和高度主观的主题的数据。将在蒙古和哈萨克斯坦进行实地考察，利用当地社会学研究所协助进行调查和深入访谈。这种比较结构将清楚地说明身份和领土是如何构建和相互构成的。身份的“去属地化”和“再属地化”这两个术语被用来扩展对不同概念之间的多方面关系的学术理解，如属地性、身份形成、场所依恋和家园心理。在这一主题的理论探索中，将使用来自广泛学科的文献。这种将地点创造作为身份形成不可或缺的探索，将有助于推动地理理论和社会理论的整体发展。这项研究涉及的基本问题是，人们是如何发展和维持对地方的依恋的，以及我们对“我们所属的地方”的概念在多大程度上影响了我们对“我们是谁”的感觉，这是一个长期被忽视的关键话题。通过提出有关领土和身份关系的理论文献，本研究将提供一个超越具体案例的应用框架。当代的国际体系提供了许多有争议的家园和人的概念的例子，客观上定义为生活在“不合宜的地方”，但可能在目前的居住地持有“扎根”的自我概念。此外，该项目的案例研究具有重要意义，因为中亚，特别是哈萨克斯坦的种族人口格局充满了散居国外的民族，他们试图重新评估自己在世界上的地位。通过阐明身份非属地化和再属地化的动态，该项目将提供见解，为世界各地国有化国家的政策制定提供信息。作为博士论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将提供支持，使有前途的学生建立一个强大的独立研究生涯。

The relationship between identity and territory has been largely ignored, yet is of profound and growing significance in the globalizing world. With international boundaries becoming more porous and an increasing number of people residing in locations away from their traditional homelands, a fundamental question arises as to the importance of the 'tether' between identity and territory. This question is most readily addressed by examining the de- and re-territorialization of identity within a group living in diaspora during a period of repatriation. The Mongolian-Kazakhs represent such a group, with a series of additionally salient characteristics. First, the Kazakhs of Mongolia have lived outside of their native homeland for more than 70 years, following their ancestors' flight from the collectivization campaigns of the Stalinist era. Second, the Kazakh ethnic group has only recently begun to nationalize within the Soviet-constructed homeland of what has become the Republic of Kazakhstan. Third, the sudden independence of Kazakhstan and the government's active repatriation campaign provide an historical opportunity to investigate the loss and reacquisition of territorial identity through the formation of homeland conceptions and their often-controversial consideration by Kazakhs within and outside of Kazakhstan. This doctoral dissertation research project will examine those Mongolian-Kazakhs opting for repatriation to Kazakhstan, those opting to remain in Mongolia, and those opting to return to Mongolia after an attempted repatriation. This project will combine surveys, in-depth interviews, and archival research methods to triangulate data on this complex and highly subjective topic. Fieldwork will be carried out in Mongolia and Kazakhstan using local sociological institutes for assistance with surveys and in-depth interviews. This comparative structure will provide a clear picture of the ways in which identity and territory are constructed and mutually constituted. The terms "de-territorialization" and "re-territorialization" of identity are employed to extend scholarly understanding of the multifaceted relationships between diverse concepts such as territoriality, identity formation, place attachment, and homeland psychology. Literature from a wide array of disciplines will be employed in the theoretical exploration of the topic. This exploration of place making as integral to identity formation will help advance geographic theory and social theory in general. The fundamental questions addressed in this research of how people develop and sustain their attachments to place, and the degree to which our conception of 'where we belong' informs our sense of 'who we are' is a critical topic that has long been ignored. By advancing the theoretical literature pertaining to the relationship between territory and identity, this research will provide a framework with application beyond the specific case. The contemporary international system offers many examples of contested notions of homeland and people defined objectively as living 'out of place' but potentially holding self-conceptions of 'rootedness' in their current places of residence. In addition, the case study for this project is significant because the ethno-demographic landscape of Central Asia, especially Kazakhstan, is replete with ethnic diasporas attempting to reassess their 'place in the world'. By elucidating the dynamics of de- and re-territorialization of identity, this project will provide insights that can inform policy formation among the nationalizing states throughout the world. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.