Kazakh culture and Literature in the American Higher Education Curriculum

Abstract

I am an American educator and researcher working in the Department of Russian and Slavic Studies at the University of Arizona, a large public university in the Southwestern region of the United States. As a longtime student of the Kazakh language and literature, as well as a researcher of the cross-cultural links between Kazakhstan and its neighbor countries, I often encounter a surprised reaction by both Kazakhstanis and my fellow Americans when I describe my topic of research. Both Americans and Kazakhstanis have asked me: Why would an American study Kazakhstan? What use is the Kazakh language to an American? What can American students hope to learn from Kazakhstan? The ultimate purpose of this article is to provide some answers to these questions. I have found the study of Kazakhstan to be enriching in many ways, both for myself and for the students I work with at the University of Arizona. In this article, I will provide an overview of the contemporary status of Kazakhstan as a subject of study in American institutions of higher education, and I will also share some of my personal experiences as both a student and a teacher. I will discuss not only specialized courses on the Kazakh language and culture, but also courses in the humanities and social sciences that incorporate Kazakhstan into broader interdisciplinary topics, such as global studies. Finally I will discuss international connections between American and Kazakhstani institutions of higher education.