Ethno-demographic characteristics, resettlement and clan composition of Kazakhs of Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan (second half of the XIX century – the 20s of the XX century)

Abstract

The study of ethnocultural issues of the Kazakh diaspora is the result of the changes that began with the acquisition
of the Independence of Kazakhstan. The issues of the ancestral structure, settlement, material and spiritual culture of
Kazakhs living outside of their state remained unexplored, and it became possible for Kazakh scientists to do so only
with the independence.The article is devoted to the issues of ethnodemography, settlement and ancestral composition
of Kazakhs of Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan. The article overviews the features of the settlement of the Kazakhs, and
provides an analysis of the ancestral composition of the Kazakhs residing on the territory of these states. Based on the
analysis of the generic composition of Kazakhs, the Kazakhs’ Zhuzes are identified as autochthonous, as well as the
tribal composition of Kazakhs resettled in the given territory and the reasons for their resettlement are indicated.The
authors of the article also analyzed the dynamics of the number of Kazakhs of Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan. Field
ethnographic material made it possible to trace the features and conduct relatively comparable analysis of the data of the
ancestral composition of the Kazakh diaspora. As a result of the comparative analysis, it was concluded that Kazakhs
of the Young Zhuz mostly live in the territory of Karakalpakstan, while Kazakhs of Senior Zhuz mainly reside in
Uzbekistan, and Kazakhs of Middle and Young Zhuzes can be also found there. It should be noted that Kazakhs largely
preserved the traditional settlement by tribes and are compactly residing in these regions. Thus, the ancestral structure
of Kazakhs living in Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan is diverse and consists of representatives of three ancestral groups.