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Kazakh historian Rakhmetolla Zakarya, currently a visiting scholar at Harvard University, has unearthed a trove of previously unpublished documents shedding new light on Soviet Kazakhstan. His research, conducted through the "Bolashak" program, focuses on migrants in Soviet Kazakhstan and has granted him access to closed archives in the United States.

A Lifelong Passion for History

Zakarya's fascination with history began in school, viewing it not just as a collection of facts but as a means to understand societal development and the origins of current events. This passion led him to participate in history olympiads, culminating in a first-place win at an international competition in Hungary, which solidified his commitment to the field.

Now a Doctor of Historical Sciences and a lecturer at Maqsut Narikbayev University, Zakarya has held significant academic positions, including deputy dean of the history faculty at ENU and head of a department at the S. Toraighyrov Institute of History and Ethnology. He has also contributed to joint historical commissions between Kazakhstan and Poland, and Kazakhstan and Lithuania.

The Path to Harvard

As Zakarya delved deeper into the topic of migration, he recognized that crucial archival data, particularly concerning the Soviet era and deportations, was located outside Kazakhstan, with Harvard's archives in the U.S. being a primary repository. This realization spurred a systematic and determined effort to gain access to these resources.

The selection process for the "Bolashak" program was highly competitive, emphasizing strong academic credentials and a well-defined research topic. Zakarya views the program as strategically vital, providing access to world-class educational institutions and showcasing the high caliber of Kazakhstani specialists.

A significant hurdle in his journey was obtaining a visa. Increased migration restrictions under the Trump administration made the visa process complex and unpredictable.

Inside Harvard's Academic World

Zakarya's days at Harvard are largely spent in libraries and archives. He actively participates in the university's academic life, attending seminars and lectures, and has had the opportunity to take courses taught by world-renowned professors.

His research has involved interactions with leading figures in history and political science, including Mark Kramer, Terry Martin, and Timothy Colton. He attended courses by Nobel laureates Daron Acemoglu and Abhijit Banerjee. Furthermore, he has engaged in discussions with Homi Bhabha on migration and Graham Allison on international security, and met with Joe Kennedy III and former U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. These encounters provided valuable insights into the practical application of academic knowledge in policy-making.

Harvard's Resources and Visiting Scholar Status

The opportunities at Harvard far exceed those in Kazakhstan, offering unrestricted access to archives, scientific databases, and scholarly publications through the university's subscriptions. Establishing regular collaborations with leading global scholars and experts is a significant advantage. Seminars with MIT and other Ivy League universities foster a sense of a unified academic space, encouraging a global perspective that transcends local viewpoints.

This experience fundamentally reshapes one's approach to research, promoting broader thinking and understanding how one's work fits into the international academic agenda.

Research Focus: Foreigners in Soviet Kazakhstan

The history of Kazakhstan is intrinsically linked to the movement of peoples. From ancient times through the Middle Ages, various tribes and nations traversed this region. The formation of the Kazakh Khanate established the core ethnic and territorial structures.

During the Soviet era, migration often took a forced character. In the 1930s and 1940s, ethnic Germans, Chechens, Ingush, Koreans, and others were deported to Kazakhstan. The Kazakh people often aided these newcomers, sharing their resources. The collective labor of diverse ethnic groups in construction, collective farms, and factories fostered a sense of unity.

These migration waves, both voluntary and coerced, resulted in a unique multi-ethnic society. Today, over 130 ethnic groups reside in Kazakhstan. The shared historical experience of overcoming hardships has laid the foundation for interethnic harmony, mutual respect, and a common historical memory.

The number of foreigners who arrived in Kazakhstan during the Soviet period was substantial, with at least 50,000 individuals. Approximately 8,500 came for political reasons, primarily as foreign communists, while around 40,000 were workers and specialists seeking employment. The main influx originated from Germany and the United States. Following the 1929 crisis, engineers, foremen, and skilled workers participated in the Soviet industrialization drive. Kazakhstan was a part of these processes, with many specialists working in Almaty, the Turkestan region, Karaganda, Aktobe, and East Kazakhstan. People were drawn to the USSR by the prospect of work and stability, while some were attracted by the ideological project.

In the 1930s, during Germany's "spy mania," foreigners were viewed with suspicion, and instances of xenophobia and racism occurred. With the onset of World War II, citizens of Germany, Italy, and Hungary were automatically deemed "unreliable," despite many having no affiliation with Nazism or fascism.

Kazakhstan's role during this period was complex and contradictory. On one hand, it hosted GULAG labor camps. On the other, it became a primary center for evacuation during the war, drawing it into broader global migration processes.

The Value of Harvard's Archives

The Harvard archives offer a completely different perspective on this era. Unexpectedly, numerous materials were discovered, particularly personal collections like letters, diaries, and diplomatic reports that helped people survive. These documents provide an "insider's" history, told through the experiences of individuals rather than from an official standpoint. During the Soviet era, such information was classified, including accounts of foreign specialists complaining about working conditions and delayed wages.

The new sources reveal a more complex and contradictory picture. While people arrived with hopes for work, stability, and participation in large-scale industrial projects, archival materials document harsh realities such as housing shortages, food scarcity, unfulfilled wage promises, pressure from authorities, and forced participation in political events. Many arrived with idealistic views, only to face Soviet bureaucracy and political surveillance.

The archives allow for tracking the subsequent fates of these individuals. Many faced difficulties readapting upon returning to their home countries, and their Soviet experiences were often viewed simplistically against the backdrop of political tensions. However, current research is shifting towards more nuanced analyses rather than one-sided assessments.

The primary conclusion is that the migration of foreigners to the USSR was not solely a story of success or failure. It was a complex experience combining hopes and disappointments, opportunities and limitations. A comprehensive understanding requires time, international cooperation, and further archival work, as many sources remain inaccessible, including those across the ocean.

Digitization and the Future of Kazakhstani Scholarship

Technology is profoundly transforming the work of historians. A significant portion of Harvard's archives is digitized, enabling remote work and reducing the need for extended stays in reading rooms. This accelerates research and allows access to an unprecedented volume of sources. Artificial intelligence aids in processing large datasets, identifying patterns, and analyzing texts. History is becoming data-driven, which, while not replacing classical methods, significantly enhances them. The ongoing task is to systematize findings and integrate them into scholarly discourse through publications and accessible databases.

Steps are being taken in Kazakhstan towards digitization and the creation of electronic databases. However, achieving global standards requires increased funding, greater motivation among young researchers, and updated methodologies, as many current approaches are outdated. There is a need to develop digital skills among historians and ensure genuine access to international resources; without these, the gap will only widen.

Advice and Future Plans

The historian offers three pieces of advice to Kazakhstani students aspiring to attend top global universities: First, genuine interest in one's field. Second, proactivity, demonstrated through participation in olympiads, volunteer projects, and research initiatives. Third, the ability to build connections and proactively engage with scholars to gain experience, as initiative is highly valued in academia.

For Zakarya, this fellowship is not just about expanding his source base but also about fundamentally re-evaluating his perspective on historical scholarship. He intends to use this experience as a foundation for his future research and teaching in Kazakhstan, aiming for greater integration of Kazakhstani historical science into the international academic space.

The field of history is expected to become more technological and interdisciplinary in the next 5-10 years. The role of digital methods—working with big data, artificial intelligence, automated text analysis, and process visualization—will increase. History will evolve from descriptive analysis to analytical inquiry. Historians will increasingly work at the intersection of various fields, from politics and economics to technology and medicine, enabling deeper understanding and more comprehensive interpretations of complex processes.

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