Kazakh Americans

Kazakh Americans are Americans of full or partial Kazakh ancestry. Although in the 1960s the population of Kazakh origin in United States was estimated in 3,000 people, the Census 2000 puts the population size in less of 300 people.[1] According to the American Community Survey in 2010-2012 there were more than 23,000 people born in Kazakhstan, but not all of them are of Kazakh ethnicity.

Kazakhstani Americans
Total population
Less than 300 (Kazakh descent, 2000 US Census)[1]
24,636 (born in Kazakhstan, 2014)[2]
Regions with significant populations
New York, Montana, Georgia, Minnesota, Virginia, Alaska, Washington, Wyoming, Pennsylvania and Kansas[3]
Languages
American English · Kazakh · Russian
Religion
Sunni Islam, some Russian Orthodox, some Tengrism
Related ethnic groups
Others Turkic peoples
Ken Alibek a Kazakh American

History

Kazakhs began to emigrate to the United States after World War II. Shortly after of the war, some Kazakh Soviet citizens, who were captured during World War II, after their liberation by Allied troops migrated to the United States.[4]

Attention of Kazakh immigrants to the United States re-newed somewhere in the mid 1960s after the liberalization of immigration laws. In those years there were about 20 families of Kazakhs in United States.

Kazakh diaspora in the United States adds to its ranks through inter-ethnic marriages, and since the breakup of Soviet Union in 1991, has increased due to Diversity Immigrant Visa program, employment-based immigration channels for scientists and engineers, such as H-1B visa and EBGC, and international child adoption.[5]

Demography

The Kazakhs form communities in places as Reston, Virginia.[6] The Kazakh Americans are observed as mono-ethnic and inter-ethnic marriages. The latter is characterized more for the older generation. Young people trying to find his life partner of the Kazakh media, thus preserving, their ethnic identity.[7]

According to conduct research by Dr. Gulnara Mendikulova a number of Kazakh groups emigrated to United States could be identified, such as:

  • Former Soviet citizens who were captured during World War II and, upon liberation by Allied troops, migrated to the United States;
  • Kazakhs from Turkey, who emigrated as part of the Turkish labor migration;
  • Kazakhs from China who migrated via Japan or Taiwan;
  • Kazakhs who emigrated from the Soviet Union during the existence of the USSR;
  • Kazakhs from Kazakhstan, who come to study or work;
  • Those who are married to U.S. citizens.
  • To this must be adhered the Kazakhs orphans children adopted by American families since the 2000s.

Organizations

Like many immigrant groups in the United States, the Kazakhs have their own associations. This section lists these organizations, which are known to be active.

  • The Kazakh American Association, a non-profit organization established in Reston, Virginia and founded to respond to the social, cultural, educational and recreational needs of Kazakh people visiting the United States and to preserve and strengthen the heritage and culture of Kazakhs people in USA.[6][7]
  • The Kazakh Aul of the United States, a nonprofit organization that has members in the entire country and is dedicated to Kazakh cultural education and support of the Kazakh population in U.S. The aul runs a summer camp called Zhaliau Heritage Camp focused on bringing Kazakh culture into the lives of Kazakh adoptees in the U.S.. There they can make friends with other adoptees and meet Kazakh adults who serve as role models. The association is founded by Kazakhs and Americans.[8] Kazakh Aul has been organizing annual summer camps for past several years.[9]
  • Kazakh Student Association at Indiana University, established in 1996.[10][11]

Notable people
  • Ken Alibek – former Soviet physician, microbiologist and biological warfare expert
  • Gaukhar Gia Noortas – Kazakh-born filmmaker, producer, TV host
  • Sanzhar Sultanov – Kazakh-born film director, producer and screenwriter

See also

References
  1. "Table 1. First, Second, and Total Responses to the Ancestry Question by Detailed Ancestry Code: 2000". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-06-28.
  2. "Place of birth for the foreign-born population in the United States, Universe: Foreign-born population excluding population born at sea, 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  3. https://books.google.com/books?id=q4I2DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1205&dq=kazakhstani+enclaves+georgia&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjdydeP6o_qAhWUs54KHQCND_cQ6AEIJTAA#v=onepage&q=kazakhstani%20enclaves%20georgia&f=false
  4. Mendikulova G. The Kazakh Diaspora: History and Modernity. - Almaty, 2006. - p. 264-268
  5. "U.S. Adopters of Foreign Orphans Undergo Tough Scrutiny | IIP Digital". Iipdigital.usembassy.gov. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  6. "Kazakh American Association". The Profile Engine. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  7. Алексей Пименов (2010-04-19). "Казахская диаспора США: традиции и перспективы". Voanews.com. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  8. "Kazakh Aul of the United States - Events". Kazakh-aul-us.org. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  9. "Cultural Connections". Kazakh Adoptive Families. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  10. Mendikulova G. The Kazakh Diaspora: History and Modernity. - Almaty, 2006. - p. 268
  11. Indiana University: Department of Central Eurasian Studies. Related links
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