Yurt Jurt

• Imperial Innocence and the Undignified Empire with Botakoz Kassymbekova

  In this episode of Yurt Jurt, host Diana Kudaibergen sits down with historian and writer Botakoz Kassymbekova to unpack the concept of imperial innocence and explore themes from her upcoming book. Together, they reflect on how the Soviet Union was an undignified experience at every level, one that stripped people of agency and disguised domination as “friendship among nations.”Botakoz shares how this so-called friendship served as a colonial tool, reinforcing racial hierarchies, inequality, and systemic injustice across the Soviet space. The conversation also turns toward the RUTA Association and its annual Conference on Decoloniality in Ukraine, where scholars and activists work to rethink the Soviet experience beyond imperial narratives.With urgency and empathy, Botakoz calls for solidarity among former Soviet nations, urging us to tell our shared stories through personal memories, family histories, and everyday acts of resistance.Tune in for a powerful discussion on memory, decolonization, and the power of storytelling to reclaim dignity.

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• Why We Reject ‘Post-Soviet’ - And What Uyat, Oruskul & the M-Words Really Mean to Us

  Host Diana Kudaibergen is joined by Aisulu Toyshibek, Aizada Arystanbek, and Kamila Smagulova for a deep dive into the politics of language, shame, and identity in Central Asia. They unpack the true meaning of uyat, far more nuanced than its usual translation as “shame”- and explore how it has been reshaped by Soviet legacies, nationalism, and patriarchy. The guests also discuss the rise of M-words, the use of terms like oruskul to police belonging, and how labels fracture communities.The conversation challenges the widespread use of “post-Soviet” as a category that Central Asians rarely claim for themselves, highlighting how such labels simplify and distort regional identities. A concise, sharp, and decolonial look at how language shapes who we are - and who we refuse to be.

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• Beyond Borders: Rethinking Whiteness and Power with Terrell J. Starr

  In this episode of Yurt Jurt, Aidai Aidarova speaks with Terrell J. Starr, journalist, podcaster, and political commentator. Aidai and Terrell discuss how conversations about colonialism and decolonization often remain trapped within African or Western frameworks, overlooking former Soviet and Central Asian experiences. Together, they explore how these global narratives are shifting and what it means to live, write, and think decolonially beyond borders and geography.Terrell shares how living in Ukraine reshaped his understanding of race, identity, and decoloniality. He reflects on his realization that in the U.S., “Caucasian” is synonymous with “white,” while in reality, the peoples of the Caucasus are the true Caucasians - a revelation that challenged his perception of race and belonging.

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• Reclaiming Knowledge: Dr. Asel Tutumlu on Decolonizing Central Asian Academia

  In this episode of Yurt Jurt, Diana Kudaibergen speaks with Dr. Asel Tutumlu, Associate Professor of Political Science at Near East University in Northern Cyprus, whose work examines the political economy of authoritarian regimes in Central Asia. Tutumlu studies how informal power, patronage, and narratives of legitimacy sustain non-democratic systems and how these patterns are rooted in both former Soviet and colonial legacies.The conversation moves beyond political structures to the politics of knowledge itself. Tutumlu shares insights on epistemic violence - how dominant academic frameworks often silence perspectives from the Global South, and how her mentorship program Usta, co-founded with Dr. Gulzat Botoeva, Dr. Sofya du Boulay, and Hikoyat Salimova, works to resist that erasure. By pairing early-career Central Asian researchers with mentors, Usta nurtures not only academic excellence but also epistemic justice and decolonial solidarity. This episode asks: who gets to produce knowledge about Central Asia - and how can scholars reclaim that voice?

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• Patriarchy, Policy, and Nationhood with Aizada Arystanbek

  In this episode of Yurt Jurt, host Diana Kudaibergen speaks with Aizada Arystanbek, a gender researcher whose work explores the intersection of patriarchy, policy, and nationalism in Kazakhstan. Aizada discusses how state media and digital cultures construct and enforce a hegemonic image of the “ideal Kazakh woman” - one defined by modesty, motherhood, and national purity. Together, Diana and Aizada unpack how these narratives not only sustain moral policing and gendered violence but also reinforce nationalist and colonial legacies under the guise of tradition and nation-building. This conversation reflects on how gender becomes a site of control, resistance, and identity in postcolonial Central Asia, and what it means to challenge these narratives in everyday life.

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