On October 2, 2024, a methodological seminar dedicated to the study of the history and prospects of development of small and single-industry towns of Kazakhstan was held at the Ch.Ch. Valikhanov Institute of History and Ethnology. The event was organized within the framework of the GF AR23488712 project “Everyday life of small and single-industry towns of Independent Kazakhstan (on the example of the Eastern region)”. The seminar brought together scientists and specialists in the field of regional development.
The seminar discussed key issues of socio-economic and demographic development of small and single-industry towns in Kazakhstan, the specifics of the implementation of government programs, as well as methods of researching the daily lives of residents of small and single-industry towns. Reports on the following topics were discussed:
• Interdisciplinary analysis of the effectiveness of the implementation of state programs for the development of small (2004-2006) and single-industry towns (2012-2020), presented by Altyn Slyamkaidarovna Ualtayeva, a leading researcher at the Ch.Ch. Valikhanov Institute of History and Ethnology.
• Comparison of the initial data on the state of small towns of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Belarus in the first years of independence. General and special, a report by Konstantin Vladimirovich Cherepanov, Candidate of Historical Sciences.
• The main methodological approaches in the study of small and single-industry towns were discussed by the chief researcher of the Institute of History and Ethnology named after Ch.Ch. Valikhanov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Mukhatova Orazgul Khasenovna.
• The history of Petropavlovsk in the works of pre-revolutionary researchers and scientists of the XX century, presented by Nurbolat Askerovich Abuov, a leading researcher at the Institute of History and Ethnology.
• Methods and forms of sociological survey of the everyday life of small towns in historical research, speech by sociologist Kaldybaeva Olga Vladimirovna.
• Features of the regional policy for the development of single-industry towns of the Republic of Kazakhstan, presented by Doctor of Historical Sciences Zhamila Malikovna Asylbekova.
The participants discussed several key areas, including: the socio-cultural development of small and single-industry towns in modern Kazakhstan, the analysis of the results of the implementation of state development programs, as well as methods of collecting and analyzing data on the daily life of the population of small towns.
The seminar allowed discussing current problems and prospects for the development of small and single-industry towns in Kazakhstan, identifying important areas for further scientific research, including issues of demography, economics and social adaptation of residents of small towns, as well as emphasizing the importance of historical experience in the development of small towns for the development of modern strategies and programs for regional development.
The organizers noted the high interest in the topic and thanked all participants for active discussions and fruitful reports, which will undoubtedly be useful for further study and development of programs for the regional development of small and single-industry towns in Kazakhstan.
