Agents of Change? Civic Engagement of Western-Educated Youth in Kazakhstan CAP Paper 222, July 2019
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Agents of Change? Civic Engagement of Western-Educated Youth in Kazakhstan CAP Paper 222, July 2019 Sergey Marinin is an independent researcher, special- ter interim president Tokayev’s ized in politics and democratic governance in Central decision to rename the capital Asia. Most of his career has been connected to the OSCE city to Nur-Sultan yet again with- broader network: he graduated from the OSCE Acade- out consulting the public, young people expressed their disagree- my in Bishkek with an M.A. in Politics and Security in ment online. As more young Ka- Central Asia and worked with OSCE/ODIHR Election zakhstanis have joined this wave Observation missions in Kazakhstan. He was also a Re- of discontent, the country has search Fellow at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s seen a spree of creative youth Secretariat in Copenhagen, where he worked on elec- protests, from a series of online tion observation and human rights issues in Central sketches ridiculing the regime’s Asia. Prior to that, Sergey worked for Kazakhstan’s reaction to peaceful actions like Human Rights Commissioner’s Office as a consultant writing famous slogans on their on the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) dealing bodies or holding up blank signs with problems of ill-treatment and torture. on public squares (for which the young people involved are still detained). As these examples azakhstan has a signif- develop policies that would bring show, the youth of Kazakhstan icant youth population. considerable social benefits for are coming up with new ways of Over 51 percent of citi- young people. Activities include, K inter alia, social engagement speaking their minds. However, zens are under the age of 29, the the dichotomy between a state vast majority of whom were born with the state through volun- that wants a positively engaged under the rule of the first presi- teerism and social responsibility youth, on the one hand, but does dent of independent Kazakhstan, initiatives. not allow it to peacefully express Nursultan Nazarbayev. Over 25 itself, on the other, has created a percent of the nation’s popula- Although this initiative is well-in- problem with serious repercus- tion are millennials.1 The younger tentioned, it may, ironically, have sions. generation is faced with numer- been jeopardized by the young ous socio-economic challenges, people themselves—who dared, My interest in this paper is in including lack of employment for the first time in a long time, how youth engage in civic and opportunities and job growth, to make their voices heard after social initiatives. I am especially limited social mobility, underrep- Nazarbayev decided to resign concerned with the contribution resentation in the state structures, from the presidency in March. On of Western-educated young peo- and limited space for social and April 21, 2019, two young activists ple to social change. This social political expression. As a step held up a banner at the Almaty group represents a compelling toward tackling this vast array of marathon that read, “You cannot case—with some of them already problems, 2019 was declared the run from the truth,” for which in power, they will have a tremen- “Year of Youth” in Kazakhstan. they both received 15-day prison dous opportunity to shape the The program for this year seeks to terms. Even earlier, in March, af- CAP Fellows Paper 222 1 post-Nazarbayev era, including actors and what they do on the the scope of what comprises civ- by fostering democratic values. ground. Third, it analyzes the en- ic engagement due to the mul- Hence, my research question is: gagement of Western-educated tifaceted nature of the concept How do young Western-educated youth by presenting and inter- and, in our case, the lack of data Kazakhstani young people pro- preting the survey data. on youth’s perception of what mote social change through civic it means to be socially engaged. engagement initiatives? Theoretical Framework However, the main idea is that “[the] active citizen participates To answer this question, I sur- Theorizing Civic/Social Engage- in the life of a community to im- veyed 113 individuals from Ka- ment prove conditions for others or to zakhstan aged 18-35 who ei- help shape the community’s fu- ther received their education In this paper, “civic engagement” ture.”6 or worked abroad (primarily in and “social engagement” (hereaf- Western countries). The sur- ter CSE) will be used interchange- In this research, I employ the vey included questions on the ably. Coming to terms with what notion of a “latent”—also called spheres in which they are civical- constitutes CSE is an arduous “pre-political”—form of civic en- ly engaged, their motivation for process; the scholarly community gagement, a notion developed by participating in such initiatives, contends that this concept is hard Ekman and Amna.7 Their concept factors inhibiting their civic en- to define and to measure. Owing illuminates the hidden tenden- 2 gagement, and how their interna- to “conceptual stretching,” the cies of civic participation in au- tional experience changed their term might include a wide range thoritarian states. The citizenry in perception of the notion of social of activities depending on how non-democratic regimes do many engagement. the notion of “civic” is construed. things that should not necessar- Robert Putnam advocates for a ily be categorized as direct civic The limitations I encountered comparatively all-encompass- engagement leading to political during the project centered on the ing definition, stating that civic involvement or results. However, lack of extended studies on the engagement includes a wide va- they might have strong potential topic of Kazakhstani youth en- riety of actions, from social net- to become political involvement gagement and Western-educated works and political participation or have a particular influence on 3 graduates in particular, as well to newspaper-reading. Other policies. Many young people are as the sample size of the survey. groups of authors give the term engaged in formally non-political A larger sample would have been a more nuanced definition. In- or semi-political domains. This needed to ensure that the study stead of “civic engagement,” they type of activity does not directly was representative. Still, this pa- propose “active citizenship,” put- target the authorities, but it nev- per offers significant insights into ting the focus on collective rather ertheless results in involvement the issue of youth civic engage- than individual action and seeing in current social processes. These ment and the role of Western-ed- civic involvement as being based activities may include volunteer- ucated youth in it. It proceeds on engaging with community is- ing, charity, helping to support as follows. First, it discusses the sues through work in all sectors, vulnerable social groups, educa- 4 theoretical concepts of civic and not only the government. This tion initiatives, or online means social engagement, with a specific could also be described as “col- of engagement (social media ac- focus on the political landscape lective action [that] influences tivities). However, unlike Ekman 5 of Kazakhstan’s authoritarian re- the larger civil society.” Finally, and Amna, I do not draw a line gime and how this affects forms civic involvement as a precursor between “civic” and “social,” as of civic activism. It also touches to political participation involves the two processes produce essen- upon the interplay between the moving individual actions toward tially the same result: involving quality of education and the level collective action solely through young citizens in civic activities. of engagement. Second, the paper the instrumentality of the politi- explores the general environment cal process. Ekman and Amna find the clos- of youth engagement in Kazakh- est equivalent to “latent engage- stan, mapping key youth policy It is a challenge to narrow down ment” in Schudson’s notion of CAP Fellows Paper 222 2 “monitorial citizens” who are in- ment, and volunteering in the system is hobbled by its failure formed about and interested in community (service learning).11 A to develop students’ soft skills. politics yet who generally choose comprehensive study of civic ed- According to the Organization to avoid formal channels of polit- ucation in 28 nations has shown for Economic Cooperation and ical participation. Although they that among the aforementioned Development (OECD) assess- remain active in the civic realm, factors, classroom climate (dis- ment, Kazakhstan’s universi- they act politically only when cussing social and political issues ty-level education lags behind on “they feel it is really imperative.”8 in the classroom freely and open- a multitude of such indicators, I believe these related concepts ly) is the most significant.12 including “cognitive and prac- apply well to the current state of tical skills,” “decision-making,” youth involvement in civic pro- Kazakhstan is making progress and “autonomy,” as well as more cesses in Kazakhstan. toward such academic and ad- complex indicators such as “ad- ministrative freedom. In 2018, vanced knowledge of a field,” How Does Education Influence Nazarbayev signed a bill that “critical understanding of theo- Social Engagement? enshrined these freedoms into ries and principles,” “advanced law. This law goes hand in hand skills demonstrating innovative Better-educated youth contrib- with step 78 of the “100 Concrete approaches to solving unpredict- ute to society in various ways, Steps,” a landmark development able problems,” “reflection,” and including civic activities. An in- strategy designed to allow Ka- “self-regulation.” None are di- dividual’s relative level of educa- zakhstan to achieve its ultimate rectly pursued in the higher ed- tion has a causal effect on his or goal of becoming one of the 30 ucation system of Kazakhstan.15 her level of democratic engage- most developed nations in the This reality is directly relevant to ment.9 Someone who has a com- world by 2050.