How Mongolia's herding culture shaped a doctoral candidate's journey

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia—Nestled amidst a tapestry of contrasting terrains, from mountains and plains to deserts and forests, Mongolia and its herding population have captured the academic imagination of Western Michigan University Department of Sociology doctoral candidate Byron Miller. 

That curiosity led Miller to embark on a year-long research expedition in Mongolia in early 2022, where he meticulously pored through archival data, conducted in-depth interviews and immersed himself in the vibrant lives of former herders in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar.

“I got to see how former herders navigate and negotiate their daily lives in the yurt districts on the edges of the city as they took care of their children, performed household chores, harvested fruit, constructed greenhouses, celebrated holidays and performed various forms of paid labor,” says Miller. “It was really powerful to actually see how they live, rather than just conducting interviews.”  

The research is a testament to Miller’s deep personal connection with Mongolia, nurtured during his formative years when he served as a Peace Corps volunteer working as a school social worker in a local village, living with a herding family—a transformative experience that ignited his fascination with Mongolian herders. 

“I became acquainted with various struggles new migrants to the capital city encounter as I worked as an instructor at the University of Finance and Economics,” says Miller. “My personal experiences with herders in the country-side and my knowledge of the obstacles former herders face in the capital after migration sparked the construction of my dissertation research project.”

But, in order to pursue his dissertation research project, Miller needed funding—and with a dedicated effort, he succeeded in garnering more than 11 total scholarships, fellowships and grants. One of these was a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Research Award, which he used to fund data collection in Mongolia

“I started writing for grants before I even started writing my actual research proposal,” says Miller. “I was able to use the smaller grants to do the research before I was in Mongolia when the COVID-19 pandemic began, but I used most of it while I was in Mongolia.”

Miller's research revolves around the intricate interplay between the political economy, environmental conditions and migration patterns of Mongolian herders since the fall of communism in 1990. His research aims to bridge a knowledge gap within migration studies, focusing on the environmental conditions and political economy factors that influence rural-to-urban migration and adaptation of herders. The limited existing research on the rural-to-urban migration of herders, together with the significant changes in herding culture caused by climate change and political economic policies, have created challenges in formulating effective migration policies in Mongolia.

“While I was conducting research in Ulaanbaatar, there were a lot of protests against the government for inflation, high unemployment, stagnant wages, corruption and a lack of perceived future for the youth,” says Miller. “I hope by sharing my research findings with organizations supporting former herders in the capital that I can raise awareness and assist in crafting public policy [to address] the various social problems facing former herders.” 

While Miller worked at the National University of Mongolia’s Sociology Department conducting his dissertation research, he cultivated collaborative research and public policy relationships with organizations working on issues that former herders encounter in their rural-to-urban migration and adaptation in Ulaanbaatar. 

“The U.S. Embassy and the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration are interested in receiving my dissertation findings to better inform themselves on how to craft public policy to address social problems former herders and migrants experience in the capital,” says Miller. 

Ultimately, while he plans to remain in academia, Miller hopes that his research findings will raise awareness, spark public debate and result in public policy that will effectively address the challenging social issues that former herders and migrants in Ulaanbaatar experience.

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