Migration from Central Asia : Stories and Identity Formation

Migration from Central Asia analyzes migration from Turkestan to Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and the United States and the identity formation of these people living in different countries. It also deals with younger generations and their views about homeland, sense of belonging, and identity.

Using oral history methods, the book focuses on migrants from Turkestan in the 1930s. The book includes in-depth interviews as well as short surveys with those who migrated and their children. Focusing on what families experienced during migration, how they made their living, how they lived in these different countries, and how they preserved their language, traditions, and culture, the author presents an overall picture of these migrants and how and why language and traditions, which are central cultural elements, have been preserved.

The analysis in this book contextualizes the change in the structure of migration and identity formation and the emergence of the notion of Turkestanian migrants. It will be of interest to academics studying Turkish World Studies, Central Asian Studies, and migration studies as well as identity and cultural studies, ethnic studies, and nationalism.