Historical Fate of Balkan Ethnic Groups in Kazakhstan: Past and Present

Abstract

Balkan Peninsula Diaspora appeared in Kazakhstan at the end of the XIX century. Firstly, the Bulgarian nationality moved, and then Greeks moved. Among the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula, the fate of the Greeks and Bulgarians is typically common for Kazakhstan. The fact that the Balkans people collided with the land of Central Asia was comprehensively influenced by political, economic, and ideological factors. Adapted to the nature and economy of the new region, the Balkan ethnic groups have retained their identity. Today, the fourth generation of these ethnic groups lives in independent Kazakhstan as a fully functioning Diaspora of Balkan people. Problems of their resettlement and arrangement are one of the topics that have not been studied in history despite being one of the most important in migration and resettlement questions of this territory. In this research work the history of Balkan ethnic groups in Kazakhstan was analyzed on the basis of archival and scientific materials.