FromlUorld ton

By RAFIS ABAZOV

The globalization of the modem world has stimu-lated a steep rise in migration to locations both nearand far, supported by many factors. The developmentof sophisticated modern transportation systems andnetworks making it much easier, cheaper and fasterfor people to move than at any time in history hasbeen one such factor. Yet, the social and culturaldimensions of the attitudes towards migrants andrelations between locals and newcomers are notalways easy and not always harmonious. In manycountries around the world, migrants and migrationare among the most hotly debated topics and onesthat are, indeed, not easy to address. At the sametime, there have been societies—such as the tradition-al Kazakhs—that moved constantly from one place toanother and developed a whole cultural universe ofsocial norms and perceptions around migration andmovement of people. Can the modern world learnhow to address the issues of migration from thesenomadic cultures?

RAFIS ABAZOV is adjunct professor at Columbia University and visiting professorat Al-Farabi Kazakh National University member of the United Nations AcademicImpact (UNAI). His recent book, The Stones of the Great Steppe: The Anthology ofModern Kazakh Literature, was published by Cognella Academic Publishing in 2013.

MULTIPLE FACES OF MIGRATION

ur modern post-industrialsocieties and economies re-quire that skills, expertiseand experience be mobileand easily transferable tovarious geographic locationsboth inside and outside theboundaries of nation-states,to the tune of 200 millioninternational migrants and

740 million internal migrants, as estimated by the UnitedNations Development Programme (UNDP). Innovation andcompetition, as well as rapid development of information andcommunication technologies and new media require speedyrecruitment, deployment and redeployment of talent into spe-cific, sometimes unpredictable, locations around the world.Yet, pre-industrial and industrial era perceptions, attitudesand social norms continue to build various barriers to popula-tion movement, such as concerns about the security of localjobs, cultural compatibility and difficulties with integrationinto local cultures and societies.

Nomadic cultures, unlike settled communities in pre-industrial and industrial eras, have had to deal constantly withvarious aspects of migration. Take, for example, the nomadsin the Kazakh culture. They had to deal with economic, cul-tural and social aspects of population movement. Nomadicsocieties, however, have tended to manage priorities in quitedifferent ways. Unlike modern industrial and post-industrialsocieties where economic considerations rule, nomadic socie-ties often prioritize cultural and social dimensions and onlyincorporate the economic aspects after that.

When people come together they communicate witheach other in certain ways and according to certain culturaltraditions. Cultural identity—belonging to certain groups orcultures—increasingly plays a significant role in formulat-ing individual and collective attitudes and in the inclusion or

UN CHRONICLE • No.3 • 2013 37

exclusion of people into various cultural arenas or environ-ments. These cultural aspects might take different forms andhave different impacts on relations between different individ-uals and communities, and especially between receiving com-munities and migrants when it comes to language, dress code,culinary habits and cultural symbols. The nomadic societieshave understood this and accordingly established a whole set

one region and failing in others, and with it fortunes and jobmarkets. Migration, if managed effectively, may revitalizesome localities and energize communities. Nomads under-stood the importance of giving migrants an opportunity totravel freely and to offer their skills and expertise on the GreatSilk Road, with what would be the equivalent of our workingvisas and work permits, to enrich their countries.

Kazakhs people, Xinjiang, China.

of traditions and rituals on treating migrants and on hospital-ity regulated not only at the state level, but most importantlyat the community level.

The social aspect is another important dimension of thisprocess, as all participants—the receiving communities aswell as the newcomers—have to deal with a myriad of socialissues. On the one side, this includes consideration of societalnorms, established social relations and the traditional fabric ofthe society. On the other side, the citizens have to deal with thesocial perceptions and traditions of newcomers, their ways ofdealing with social relations and building social connections.

The economic aspect plays a significant role in creatingor illuminating barriers. It is true that this is an aspect wherethere exists great inequality, with the economy expanding in

© WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/ BERNARD GAGNON

MULTIPLE IMPACTS OF MIGRATION

The most important feature in traditional Kazakh cultureand art is the perception of the universe through the eyes ofa nomad. In this view, nomadism is not only a way of life, butalso a way of thinking about the world around oneself, aboutcircles of life, about interactions with Mother Nature and thenever-ending movement of the human soul. According to thisview, the human soul should always search for perfect bal-ance, both in the real world and in the imaginary philosophi-cal construction of the world.

Nomads have to deal with constant movement of peopleincluding themselves and those around them. Therefore, theyhave developed certain concepts or attitudes in dealing withmigration and related issues.

38 RAFISABAZOV • GLOBALIZATION OF MIGRATION: WHAT THE MODERN WORLD CAN LEARN FROM NOMADIC CULTURES

Kajndy Lake in southeast Kazakhstan.

One such attitude is cultural curiosity. In nomadic cul-ture it is a norm to explore 'otherness' and various aspects ofcultural differences without precondition or pre-establishedprejudice, learning from newcomers about the land beyondthe horizon and about new skills and technologies.

A second important attitude is tolerance. The nomadicsocieties on the Great Silk Road usually accepted newcom-ers with a great degree of tolerance to differences in religiousviews, language, dress code and many other issues.

Third is social attitude. Kazakhstan, like the UnitedStates, has been a country of migrants for centuries and peopledeveloped and integrated into their social norms certain waysof dealing with migrants. These social attitudes have been val-ued and promoted among all members of the society.

WHAT CAN THE MODERN WORLD LEARN FROMNOMADIC CULTURES?

The UNDP Human Development Report 2009, OvercomingBarriers: Human Mobility and Development suggests thatglobal migration is here to stay and even grow both interna-tionally and domestically, stressing that "history and contem-porary evidence suggest that development and migration gohand in hand".' For decades, migration has been among the

© WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/ JONAS SATKAUSKAS

most important and most discussed topics for national gov-ernments and international organizations, which have workedon developing policy measures and policy tools in order toease and harmonize population movement and to deal withconflicts and many other issues related to migration. Yet,there is still much to be learned from the experiences of thepast and present, including those of nomadic societies suchas the Kazakhs. In this regard, one of the most important les-sons is to accord more attention to the cultural dimension ofmigration and, through greater cultural exchanges, promotesharing of values and hetter dialogue between receiving andarriving communities. In addition, the economic and socialpolicies developed by national governments and regional andinternational organizations should also give greater consid-eration to learning about cultural values and traditions. This,in turn, will help to create better policies and more bottom-upactions in dealing with the ever growing global movement ofpeople and cultures. ^

Notes

1 United Nations Development Programme, Human DevelopmentReport 2009: Overcoming Barriers: Human Mobility and Development(Basingstoke, United Kingdom, Palgrave Macmillan, 2009), p.2.

UN CHRONICLE • No.3 • 2013 39

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