Postcard from the Steppes: a snapshot of public relations and culture in Kazakhstan

This article offers one look at the current state of public relations in Kazakhstan. No studies have yet examined public relations practice in Kazakhstan or in Central Asia. The model used as the analytical framework for the study is borrowed from British cultural studies and called “the circuit of culture.” This model advances our understanding of the relationship among culture and meaning, culture and communication, and of course, culture and public relations. More specifically, this analysis illustrates how public relations produces, negotiates and even manages cultural meaning, as exemplified in Kazakhstan. The study finds that the language of money is the primary symbolic representation of public relations in Kazakhstan.