Features of the Shamanic Tradition of Kazakhs in Turkey: Diasporic Transformation and Cultural Memory
General Section April 10, 2026 DOI: 10.66343/cstpf/vol1_iss1/art42 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Kazakh diaspora in Turkey, formed by forced migrations from East Turkestan (Xinjiang) in 1949–1956 |
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key findings | Argues that shamanic relics persist among the Kazakh diaspora in Turkey, transformed within an Islamic environment and diasporic existence. The analysis of ritual texts and proverbs reveals their role as carriers of cultural code and mechanisms of identity formation, grounded in collective and cultural memory theories. |
Abstract
The article is devoted to the analysis of relics of the Kazakh shamanic tradition among the Kazakh diaspora in Turkey, which was formed as a result of forced migrations from East Turkestan (Xinjiang) in 1949–1956. Based on field materials from 2023, oral testimonies, ritual texts (saryny), paremiological formulas, and narratives, the study examines the transformation of the shamanic complex in conditions of an Islamic environment and diasporic existence. The theoretical framework of the research is grounded in Maurice Halbwachs’ concept of collective memory and Jan Assmann’s theory of cultural memory. Special attention is paid to the folkloric tradition, the textual structure of shamanic formulas and proverbs as carriers of cultural code and mechanisms of identity formation practices.