Catherine Pujol, Regional Director of French Institute for Central Asian Studies participated in the session of Scientific-Expert Council of the Assembly of people of Kazakhstan and delivered speech on Soviet legacy of ethnic diversity in Kazakhstan.
“I have always admired the history of Central Asia, including Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is a unique country which has special historical heritage. As a result, this country is a real laboratory of tolerance. I can say that I admire this fact, because there are so many conflicts and clashes in our world. Kazakhstan has managed to maintain peace and consent between the ethnoses. The multicultural heritage of Kazakhstan is diverse in its structure. It has been accumulated thanks to numerous ethnoses.
I am a great propagandist of the steppe culture in France, I taught a large number of students. The Kazakh steppe is not only the geography, culture, it is the history. It is necessary to develop history, to involve young people in it”, Catherine Pujol said.
“Kazakhstan is located in the heart of Eurasia. A lot has happened in this area. The 20th century was really rich in historical events in the light of transformation, I mean ‘collectivization’ and ‘sovietization’, which brought new people here for various reasons. If the arrival of tsarist power in the local history of the steppe manifested itself in the creation of a "thick border" between Russia and Kazakhstan, the consequences of the revolution of 17s were very important for today. They need to be studied to understand what Kazakhstan is at the moment.
Kazakhstan itself is the cradle of the cultural steppe. The people of Kazakhstan have experienced many trials and difficulties, such as revolution, repression, collectivization, virgin lands, World War II, perhaps this is the reason for their tolerance”, C. Pujol concluded.
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Dana TUGAMBEKOVA
