Introduction, Marlene Laruelle Part I: The State: Ruling Mechanisms and Symbols Chapter 1: The Rule by Law: Negotiating Stability in Kazakhstan, Assel Tutumlu Chapter 2: The Kazakh Neopatrimonial Regime: Balancing Uncertainties among the Family, Oligarchs, and Technocrats, Sebastien Peyrouse Chapter 3: Shrek Meets the President: Magical Authoritarianism in a Fairy-Tale City, Mateusz Laszczkowski Chapter 4: Shrine and Neopatrimonialism in southern Kazakhstan, Wendell Schwab and Ulan Bigozhin Part II: The Nation: Conflicting Legitimacies and Repertoires Chapter 5: Nationalizing Elites and Regimes: Nation-building in Post-Soviet Authoritarian and Democratic Contexts, Diana T. Kudaibergenova Chapter 6: Imagining Kazakhstani-stan: Negotiations of Homeland and Titular-Nationality, Alexander C. Diener Chapter 7: Which Future for National-Patriots?: The Landscape of Kazakh Nationalism, Marlene Laruelle Chapter 8: Cowboys, Gangsters, and Rural Bumpkins: Constructing the "Other" in Kazakhstan's "Texas, " Natalie R. Koch and Kristopher White Part III: The Society: Negotiating Cultural Changes Chapter 9: Islam in Good Taste: About Suitable Forms of Public Religiosity, Alima Bissenova Chapter 10: The "Spirit of Tengri': Spirituality, Nationalism, and Emerging Trends in Kazakh Ethno-Pop, Megan Rancier Chapter 11: Return Migration from the United States: Exploring the Dynamics of Cultural Change in Kazakhstan, Douglas Blum