On the topic: "Women in ethnic communities as a channel for the revival and formation of civic and ethnic identity (Case study of Turkestan Region and Shymkent City)."

On February 27, 2025, a lecture was held at the Department of Sociology and Social Work of Al-Farabi KazNU by Elmira Sakenovna Otar, Ph.D. in Sociology, Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology of L.N. Gumilyov ENU, Coordinator of the Consortium of Research Organizations in the field of family, gender, and demographic policy, a graduate of the School of Analytics under the Senate of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Project Manager of MSHE, and a member of the working group of young scientists at the National Academy of Sciences.

Elmira Sakenovna presented the results of her research on the topic: "Women in ethnic communities as a channel for the revival and formation of civic and ethnic identity (Case study of Turkestan Region and Shymkent City)."

Key topics of the lecture:

-Ethnic communities in southern Kazakhstan: Tajik, Uzbek, Turkish, Kurdish women and their traditions;

-The role of women in the family: daughter – wife – daughter-in-law – mother – grandmother;

-The importance of education and professional choice for women in ethnic communities;

-Most women speak their native language, Kazakh, and Russian, while some also know English, Arabic, and Turkish;

-Raising children and transmitting cultural values in ethnic families;

-Civic and ethnic identity: women actively participate in the life of their communities, uphold traditions, and contribute to the development of national culture.

Interesting Observations:

-Sometimes, women spend their entire lives on the same street, marrying a man who also lives on that street;

-Family remains a key value, and professions are mostly chosen to enable women to heal and educate their families (medicine, pedagogy);

-In urban settings, women tend to have more individualistic views, but these do not contradict family interests. Women find ways to develop themselves while also involving their children in this process;

-Women take an active role in raising children.

We sincerely thank Elmira Sakenovna for her invaluable contribution to the development of KazNU students and for an engaging discussion!

The lecture was organized by the Gender Research Center of the Department of Sociology and Social Work, within the framework of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The organizers were Doctor of Social Sciences, Associate Professor N.U. Shedenova, and 1st year doctoral student A.K. Aubakirova.