Inter-religious Marriage Among Kazakhs and Russians in Kazakhstan (1922-2023)

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive examination of interfaith marriages between Kazakh Muslims and Russian Orthodox Christians in Kazakhstan within the historical, social, and cultural context spanning from 1922 to 2023. The authors analyze the development of interethnic and interreligious marriages from the Soviet era to the present, placing special emphasis on traditional norms, gender relations, and sociological factors. The empirical basis of the study includes research conducted by Evstigneev and Borzykh between 1972 and 1984, along with survey results collected from students in the city of Turkistan. The article extensively explores the impact of such marriages on family structure, child upbringing, and religious identity, as well as young people’s attitudes toward this issue. The religious upbringing of children and the issue of achieving religious harmony within the family are addressed as distinct areas of analysis. The findings indicate that the concurrent processes of Islamization and modernization in Kazakhstan significantly shape the religious and cultural consciousness of the younger generation. The article offers relevant and valuable insights for scholars and policymakers interested in issues of religious tolerance and cultural diversity. The authors also emphasize the need for regional comparative analysis of interfaith marriage models and highlight the importance of conducting large-scale, high-quality research in this field in the future. Specifically, this study addresses a significant gap in post-independence data and synthesizes new empirical findings with existing scholarship. A dedicated literature review summarizes previous studies to contextualize the analysis. These contributions not only extend the historical narratives but also provide a nuanced basis for subsequent comparative and policy-oriented research.

Keywords: interreligious marriage, Islam, Christianity, Kazakhs, Russians