Geographers and anthropologists have long investigated the causes and consequences of migration from multiple spatial and temporal scales. In 2004, Holly Barcus and Cynthia Werner initiated a project in the western aimag of Bayan-Ulgii, Mongolia to better understand the on-going migration of Mongolian Kazakhs between Mongolia and Kazakhstan during the transition period between 1991 and 2010. During this period, Mongolia shifted from a communist to a democratic form of governance and from a command to a capitalist economy. This period also witnessed a rapid and important change in the freedom of movement both within Mongolia and across borders. One of these migration flows is comprised of Mongolian Kazakhs migrating to and from Kazakhstan during this period.
This website provides an overview of our on-going work and the people who have helped us understand the dynamic relationships between gender, economics, identity, and geo-politics that shape the complex decision-making processes and outcomes of transnational migration in this region.