Chapter 1: Introduction -- Chapter 2: Crafting “Attractive” Histories: (Visual) Narrative Contestation Along the Silk Road -- Chapter 3: Ethnic policies of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan towards minorities -- Chapter 4: Kazakh repatriates: challenges and problems -- Chapter 5: Migration from Russia to Kazakhstan during the Russian-Soviet Period: Origins, Processes, and Impacts -- Chapter 6: From whom do They Learn? Higher Education Policy in Central Asia in the Post-Socialism Era.

This book examines the intricate and under-explored dynamics of ethnic politics in post-socialist states and their implications for China. While focusing on the political, cultural, and ethnic landscapes of Central Asia and their connections to China, the volume highlights how shared historical legacies and emerging geopolitical realities shape ethnic policies and state relations. Contributions from scholars based in the UK, Kazakhstan, and China provide a comprehensive analysis of key issues, including the influence of post-Soviet ethnic politics on China’s governance of its own minority regions, the challenges of nation-building, and China's growing geopolitical presence in Central Asia. Chi Zhang is an Associate Lecturer at the University of St Andrews and an Associate Member of the Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence. She has published in journals such as the Journal of Contemporary China, International Feminist Journal of Politics, Terrorism and Political Violence, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Politics and Religion and Asian Security. She is the editor of Human Security in China: A Post-Pandemic State and the author of Legitimacy of China’s Counter-Terrorism Approach: The Mass Line Ethos. Gulnara Dadabayeva is a professor in the department of International Relations, at KIMEP University, Kazakhstan. She graduated from the al-Farabi Kazakh National University, where she worked for a long time in the Department of History. As a historian she was primarily interested in 1920s political and economic history. Later, her research focus shifted towards problems of nation-state building in the Central Asian region in the 1990s. Recently, Dr. Dadabayeva co-authored several articles devoted to the cultural puzzles of Soviet Kazakhstan literature. She has over 50 publications, including articles in Soviet and Post-Soviet Review, Nationalities Papers, Folklore, The Journal of Slavic Military Studies, and other journals.