ENU Scholars Present Book on the Germans of Northern Kazakhstan in Germany

Professor of the Department of History of Kazakhstan at the Faculty of History, Doctor of Historical Sciences Arailym Musagaliyeva, and Associate Professor of the Department of Russian Philology at the Faculty of Philology, Candidate of Philological Sciences Roza Musabekova, presented their book The Germans of Northern Kazakhstan in Nuremberg, Germany. The monograph was presented at the symposium "Kazakhstan in the Fate of the Germans: Deportation and Everyday Life," dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the deportation of Germans to Kazakhstan.

The monograph presents the results of research on the formation of the German diaspora in Northern Kazakhstan, covering the period from the migration of the early twentieth century to the exile and deportation of Germans from the Volga region and other parts of the Soviet Union in the 1930s and 1940s, as well as their life in special settlements in the following years.

The publication is based on an extensive source base, including documents from central and regional archives that have not previously been used in scholarly research, as well as a substantial collection of visual and oral sources, many of which are introduced into academic circulation for the first time.

The authors pay particular attention to the confiscation and collectivization policies affecting the German population of Northern Kazakhstan in the 1920s and 1930s, their deportation before and during the Second World War, and their subsequent life in special settlements.

A separate chapter examines the post-war period and the participation of Germans in the development of Kazakhstan's virgin and fallow lands. The monograph also explores the lives of former special settlers after their release from administrative supervision, highlighting their contribution to the social and political development of Northern Kazakhstan.

The book is intended for researchers, university faculty members, doctoral and master's students, as well as a broad readership interested in the history of Kazakhstan and its ethnic communities.

The symposium was organized by the Bavarian Cultural Center of Germans from Russia in Nuremberg in cooperation with the German-language newspaper DAZ (Almaty). It focused on the historical context of the deportation, living conditions in special settlements, and the long-term consequences for the German population of Kazakhstan.

The symposium served as a platform for discussing new research approaches and promoting cross-border academic exchange between experts from Germany and Kazakhstan.

As part of the symposium, the ENU scholars also delivered a joint presentation entitled "The Germans of Northern Kazakhstan Through the Lens of Archival Sources: Everyday Life and Survival Strategies in Special Settlements."

Drawing on historical sources, they illustrated the strategies employed by the deportees to overcome the hardships of everyday life, find ways to survive, and preserve their dignity despite state repression.

The presentation was followed by a lively discussion and a moderated panel session. The diversity of academic perspectives, archival materials, and personal testimonies enabled participants to gain a comprehensive understanding of the deportations and their long-term consequences.