A Sad Day for Kazakhstan

Nurbulot Masanov (1954-2006)

Several news sources from the region are carrying the sad news that one of independent Kazakhstan’s greatest and most controversial thinkers has passed away. Nurbulat Masanov was as well-known in the international scholarly community of Central Asia as he was in the world of Kazakhstani politics. He is the author of numerous works about the cultural life and history of nomadic civilization in Central Asia, and he is also the author of numerous political tracts. This past year, he was given a position as the director of a new institute of Nomadism. He said that he had already fulfilled his role in politics, and he was ready to return to scholarly pursuits. He will be sorely missed.