Understanding actors and processes shaping transgender subjectivities: a case study of Kazakhstan

In: The Steppe and beyond

Abstract

This book introduces the policies surrounding legal gender recognition of trans people in Kazakhstan. Generally, the research in this sphere focuses on medical professions, described as gatekeepers or judges deciding who fit the prescriptions of being a woman or a man, and on trans people themselves, who are often portrayed as victims. However, this process is more complex than only describing the interaction of these two groups or by labelling them either as gatekeepers or victims. The project provides a critical approach and attempts to expand our understanding of the process, the dynamics and the actors involved. This study will be of interest to scholars of contemporary Kazakhstan, and of feminism and LGBTQ activism more generally. Zhanar Sekerbayeva is a PhD researcher. In her work she aims at expanding the concept of "gender" in the general public discourse through activism by mainstreaming questions of gender identity in the academia. She is a co-founder of Kazakhstan Feminist Initiative "Feminita"