Research Internship at the University of Zurich

In May 2026, the research team of project AP26197965 “The Everyday Life of Ethnic Repatriates in Post-Soviet Kazakhstan: Adaptive Strategies and Integration Practices (a case study of the Zhetysu Region),” comprising project leader N.K. Baigabatova and researchers G.I. Ishkalova, A.M. Abyzova, and A.S. Kaikibayeva, completed a short-term research internship at the Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. The aim of the internship was to study contemporary international approaches to migration, repatriation, and social integration research, as well as to enhance the theoretical and methodological training of the research team members. During the visit, working meetings were held with Professors Peter Finke and Meltem Sancak, where interim results of the project were presented and discussed, including materials from fieldwork conducted in the Zhetysu region. An important part of the internship involved work in the library collections of the University of Zurich and the Central Library of Zurich, where academic literature on migration, repatriation, and integration practices was collected and analyzed. The materials gathered expanded the theoretical basis of the project and will be used in the preparation of scientific publications. The internship contributed to strengthening the research competencies of the project participants and expanding international academic networks. Expert consultations provided valuable recommendations for the interpretation of empirical data and the further development of the research work.