ABSTRACT
Narratives of post-Soviet trade experiences often convey a certain ambiguity. Their connotation staggers between nostalgia and ongoing socioeconomic hardship, between the uncertainty of the frequent change of rules and the promise of evolving opportunities. When 46-year-old Marzhan, a single mother of two children, elaborates upon her life course since Kazakhstan’s independence in 1991, it comes as an unbelievable story amidst the scenery of shipping containers, rushing cart-pushers delivering enormous bales of goods along the rows, and the ubiquitous scent of Chinese textiles. Her initial trade activities at ad-hoc open-air bazaars in Almaty-Kazakhstan’s former capital and most populous city some 360 kilometres from the Chinese border-indeed have been driven by socioeconomic necessity, a sense of responsibility, and entrepreneurial fortune-seeking. Over the years, she has gradually acquired, expanded and validated business contacts as she skilfully navigated economic, juridical and political uncertainties. Nowadays, with enormous efforts and capital invested over the past decade, her flourishing wholesale business of Beijing-manufactured, self-designed outerwear at Almaty’s Bolashak Bazaar has become a highly dependable source of income.
