Description: A fascinating anthropological inquiry into the deeply ingrained presence of ancestors within the cultural, political, and spiritual discourse of Kazakhs. This ancestral dialogue sustains a unifying worldview by mediating questions of faith and morality, providing role models, and offering a mechanism for socio-political critique, change, and meaning-making.
Review Quotes: Outstanding work. Living Language in Kazakhstan is a rare attempt to capture what the author names as the 'affective landscapes' of Kazakh spirituality. By focusing on the construction of intergenerational relationships within families and broader communities, Dubuisson demonstrates that the spirits of deceased ancestors play a central role in Kazakh social life, constituting a particular worldview historically rooted in an Inner Asia's belief system.-- "Saulesh Yessenova, University of Calgary"