Projekt

Daten zum Projekt

Postdoctoral Fellowship für Frau Zarina Adambussinova "Local socio-economic survival strategies in the face of urban challenges in the post-Soviet mining cities of Central Asia"

Initiative: Zwischen Europa und Orient - Mittelasien/Kaukasus im Fokus der Wissenschaft
Ausschreibung: Postdocs: Institutional Change and Social Practice. Research on the Political System, the Economy and Society in Central Asia and the Caucasus
Bewilligung: 18.12.2019
Laufzeit: 3 Jahre

Projektinformationen

This future postdoctoral research project is aimed at examining the post-socialist transformation processes in the conduct of everyday life, especially in its socio-economic dimension in the face of urban challenges in small-sized monotowns in post-Soviet Central Asia. More precisely, the study attempts to identify and analyse which existing forms of local household survival strategies have been developed by the inhabitants remaining from the post-Soviet period of two monotowns as case-studies: Arqalyq in Kazakhstan and Task-Kömür in Kyrgyzstan. In doing so, I put a major focus on the articulation of the 'alternative,' or possibly innovative, economic practices of individuals. Combining household survey data (around 150 households in each case) with qualitative interviews with citizens and important stakeholders, such as representatives of the local authorities, mining companies, and businesses. The study will show that, despite significant changes in the economic and political landscapes of both countries, informal (possibly ?innovative?) practices remain to be widespread in conducting daily life for a majority of the local populations. By so doing, this project will greatly contribute to conceptualizing and developing new understandings and views on the issue by using a socio-anthropological perspective with two individual case-studies on post-Soviet monocities. Furthermore, the bottom-up approach of studying household survival strategies enables me to link the micro level of people's everyday perceptions with the macro one of policy frameworks and academic discussions. This approach, therefore, will develop and propose some recommendations in the form of policy papers that will address specific areas of concerns and vulnerabilities of the residents remaining in these former mono-industrial cities.

Projektbeteiligte