Research Catalog

Title

Living language in Kazakhstan : the dialogic emergence of an ancestral worldview / Eva-Marie Dubuisson.

Author

Dubuisson, Eva-Marie

Publication

Pittsburgh, Pa. : University of Pittsburgh Press, [2017]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

xxiii, 176 pages : illustrations; 23 cm.

Summary

"Eva-Marie Dubuisson provides a fascinating anthropological inquiry into the deeply ingrained presence of ancestors within the cultural, political, and spiritual discourse of Kazakhs. In a climate of authoritarianism and economic uncertainty, many peope in this region turn to their forebears for care, guidance, and advice, invoking them on a daily basis. This "living language" creates a powerful link to the past and a stable foundation for the present. Through Dubuisson's participatory, observational, and lived experience among Kazakhs, we witness firsthand the public performances and private rituals that show how memory and identity are sustained through an oral tradition of invoking ancestors. This ancestral dialogue mediates questions of faith and morality, providing role models, and offering a mechanism for sociopolitical critique, change, and meaning making. Looking beyond studies of Islam or heritage alone, Dubuisson provides fresh insights into understanding the Kazakh worldview that will serve students, researchers, NGOs, and policymakers in the region."

Series Statement

Central Eurasia in context

Uniform Title

• Project Muse UPCC books.
• Central Eurasia in context.

Subject

• Volksreligion
• Religionsausübung
• Ahnenkult
• Mündliche Überlieferung
• Ethnolinguistik
• Kazakhs > Religion
• Kazakhs > Kinship
• Ancestor worship > Kazakhstan
• Kasachstan
• Kazakhstan > Social life and customs

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 157-167) and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Bata and blessing -- Guardians of the ancestors -- Ancestry in Aitys poetry -- Dialogic authority -- Participatory politics.

ISBN

• 9780822964605
• 0822964600

OCLC

• 1001968393
• SCSB-11837171

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library