Kazak Scholars Organize Association of Applied Anthropology

Abstract

Editorial note: Kazakhstan emerged from fifty years of Soviet rule following the collapse of the former Soviet Union to become the Republic of Kazakstan (the new transliteration from the Turkic Kazak language rather than from Russian is itself symbolic of independence). Scholars in the new republic turned to the task of reorganizing universities, redefining disciplines, and applying their work to national problem solving. Culturally, Kazaks are reasserting their Islamic religious identity that was submerged during the Soviet era. They are restoring mosques and shrines not only as places of worship, however, but as important symbols of cultural heritage that document Kazak claims to their rightful place in the Islamic world Increasing numbers of pilgrims are visiting shrines, for example, the 600 year old Masoleum of Kodzha Akhmed Yassawi in the city of Turkistan, built by the order of Timur (Tamerlaine). The Kazaks hope to develop a heritage tourism industry around the architectural monuments and archeological sites that attest to their long, rich cultural history.