DEAR COLLEAGUES!
On November 10, 2025, the Ch.Ch. Valikhanov Institute of History and Ethnology will hold a round table on the topic: “Child Homelessness in Kazakhstan and Neighboring Countries in the 1920s–1930s: History, Causes, Consequences.” The event is organized within the framework of the grant funding project of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan: “The Problem of Child Homelessness in Kazakhstan and Neighboring Countries in the 1920s–1930s” (IRN AP23488331)
The relevance of this round table is driven by the need for a comprehensive understanding of one of the most acute humanitarian issues of the post-revolutionary and early Soviet period. Mass child homelessness in Kazakhstan, which emerged against the backdrop of social catastrophes—civil war, famine, epidemics, and repressive policies—had long-term effects on the formation of the social structure, educational, and legal systems. Despite some existing research, the issue of homelessness remains understudied, especially in the regional context of Kazakhstan and neighboring areas.
The round table will provide a platform to unite the efforts of historians, sociologists, legal scholars, archivists, and educators in studying the causes, scope, state response mechanisms, and consequences of homelessness for society and individual life stories. The event is particularly important in the light of contemporary discussions on child rights protection, social risks, and historical memory. It also opens up opportunities for discovering new sources, interdisciplinary dialogue, and shaping a scholarly agenda on the humanitarian aspects of childhood in times of social instability.
The aim of the round table is to create a scientific and expert platform for interdisciplinary analysis of the phenomenon of child homelessness in Kazakhstan and neighboring countries in the 1920s–1930s, to identify its causes, forms, consequences, and response mechanisms by the state and society, and to discuss prospects for further research based on archival, statistical, and narrative sources.
Key discussion topics:
- Historical causes of child homelessness: famine, wars, migration processes, destruction of the traditional family;
- State policies in child protection: activities of Pomgol (Famine Relief Committee), People’s Commissariat for Education, police, and commissions to combat homelessness;
- Social adaptation of homeless children: special reception centers, orphanages, labor communes and FZO (factory training schools), institutions for children of national minorities, evacuation measures;
- Role of public organizations and initiatives: participation of women activists, Komsomol members, and trade unions in assisting children;
- Archival and narrative sources: challenges in finding, interpreting, and introducing new materials into academic circulation;
- Comparative analysis with other regions of the USSR: similarities and differences in scale and methods of combating homelessness;
- Interdisciplinary approaches: contributions from historians, sociologists, educators, and legal scholars;
- Historical memory and modern interpretations: the image of the homeless child in literature, cinema, and collective memory.
Working languages of the round table: Kazakh, Russian
Start time: November 11, 2025, at 3:00 PM
Venue: 205, Shevchenko St., Almaty
Format: Offline and online participation via Zoom (ID: 848 9111 2823, Code: 856679)
Sincerely, Organizing Committee