The Phenomenon of Religious Conversion in Astana: A Sociological Analysis

Abstract

Kazakh society underwent a process of russification and baptism during the Russian Empire, a policy of secularization under the Soviet government, and religious and social changes after independence, such as a religious revival. With the revival of Islam in society, missionary activity by Christian denominations also began to gain strength. These religious and social changes in society naturally allowed people to convert. That is, there were more and more people in Kazakh society who changed their religion. In this article, a sociological study is conducted on people who adopted religion, and they are analyzed from the perspective of the sociology of religion. Twenty-five respondents with Kazakh citizenship participated in the study. Methods of sociological research such as observation, interviewing and analysis were used.