Nationality, Clan, Region, Generation
Recruiting Elites in Central Asia
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
In Western Europe, political offices are occupied by means of elections. But how are elites recruited in Central Asia? The assumption that nationality, clan, generation or regional background is decisive is misleading. An analysis of Kazakhstan shows that the recruitment of elites has no monocausal explanation, because factors change in importance. At the start of the 1990s, antagonism between Russians and Kazakhs was more important than it is today. In the second half of the 1990s, clan affiliation determined at least social perceptions. And the generation question is gaining in importance as the ruling elite ages.
(Osteuropa 8-9/2007, pp. 175–194)