The Social Process of Globalization
Return Migration and Cultural Change in Kazakhstan

A rich and compelling analysis of how cultural globalization occurs, including the structural conditions, personal meanings and social interactions involved.

Douglas W. Blum (Author)

9781107129689, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 3 December 2015

224 pages, 1 b/w illus.
23.5 x 16 x 1.8 cm, 0.47 kg

'The book stands out as a result of its combined theoretical and empirical rigor. It is surprising to find such a detailed theoretical account that then builds upon existing approaches by identifying and resolving their nuanced differences. Moreover, the empirical work is excellent, with the author conducting ninety-two semi-structured interviews between 2011 and 2012. The author chose primarily students and interns because they were the most likely to be agents of cultural change (and as the author correctly points out his research seeks to study cultural transformation rather than cultural reproduction).' John Glenn, Slavic Review

It is often argued that globalization fosters 'hybridity', as some cultural imports are accepted, while others are 'localized', and others still are rejected outright. Yet we know relatively little about the social processes and mechanisms involved in cultural globalization. This book offers an empirically rich and theoretically compelling analysis of how cultural globalization occurs, including the structural conditions, personal meanings and social interactions associated with various outcomes. Providing a detailed analysis of the experiences of young people from Kazakhstan who lived in the United States temporarily, the author asks, how do return migrants react to cultural differences in America, and what changes do they try to incorporate into their lives back in Kazakhstan? What kinds of negotiations ensue, and what explains their success or failure? In answering these questions, Douglas W. Blum combines insights from sociology and anthropology along with specialized research on globalization, migration and post-Soviet studies.

1. Moving beyond hybridity
2. Kazakhstan: the local context of globalization
3. Theory: explaining cultural stability and change
4. Return migrants and the negotiation of cultural difference
5. Patterns of social and cultural change
6. Conclusions: globalization, reflexivity and return migration.

Subject Areas: Comparative politics [JPB], Politics & government [JP], Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography [JHMC], Sociology [JHB], Sociology & anthropology [JH], Migration, immigration & emigration [JFFN]