Advertise on podcast: Yurt Jurt

In this episode of Yurt Jurt, host Diana Kudaibergen speaks with Dinara Rasuleva - a Tatar poetess, writer, artist, and musician whose work sits at the crossroads of decolonial writing, experimental performance art, and multilingual expression.Until 2022, Dinara wrote exclusively in Russian. That shift became a turning point: she began to work consciously across languages, questioning the imperial connotations embedded in dominant literary forms and searching for new ways to write that feel ethically and politically grounded. Her recent Lostlingual project Travmagochi marks this transition - a work shaped by rupture, memory, and linguistic choice. Together, Diana and Dinara reflect on what it means to praise and preserve native languages in contexts shaped by empire and erasure. They discuss the emotional and political weight of returning to a mother tongue, the challenges of passing native languages on to future generations, and the freedom and responsibility of writing in Russian, Tatar, English, and German. This conversation is about language as inheritance, resistance, and creative experimentation - and about choosing to write in ways that refuse silence, hierarchy, and linguistic loss.

In this episode of the Jurt Podcast, host Diana Kudaibergen is joined by writer and poet Egana Djabbarova for an intimate conversation about language, literature, and self-formation. Egana reflects on her books and poetic practice, exploring how language became a foundation for building her subjectivity and a powerful tool for self-reflection and decolonization. She speaks about writing not only as artistic expression, but as a way of reclaiming voice, memory, and agency within and against dominant narratives.The conversation also turns to the importance of theory for emerging writers. Egana emphasizes why reading theoretical and critical studies matters, and how feminist, postcolonial, and philosophical texts have deeply shaped her own work and thinking. Egana also shares her experience of criticism and resistance after depicting the Russian language and Russian-speaking space through the perspective of a migrant family, shaped by bazaars, communal apartments, precarity, and everyday discrimination. She reflects on why such perspectives are often dismissed, and why it is crucial to continue writing from lived, marginalized positions. This episode is a reflection on writing as practice, language as power, and literature as a space for re-imagining identity and belonging.

In this episode of Yurt Jurt, host Diana Kudaibergen speaks with Denis Esakov, a linguist and activist from Kyrgyzstan and a member of De_colonialanguage, a Berlin-based initiative working at the intersection of language, power, and decolonial practice. Denis reflects on how colonial and imperial histories continue to shape everyday speech, naming practices, and ideas of “normative” language in post-imperial contexts. The conversation explores De:coloniaLanguage as both an initiative and a method, one that questions whose voices are legitimized, whose are erased, and how language can be reclaimed as a tool of agency rather than control. The episode also touches on the Open Space Museum, where language, memory, and public knowledge intersect through open, participatory formats that challenge traditional institutional authority. Together, Diana and Denis discuss how museums, archives, and linguistic practices can become sites of resistance, care, and re-imagining futures beyond colonial frames. This episode invites listeners to think of language not as neutral, but as something we actively choose, contest, and transform.

In this episode of Yurt Jurt, host Diana Kudaibergen sits down with cultural and social anthropologist Zarina Mukanova for a wide-ranging conversation about identity, memory, and what decolonization really looks like in Central Asia. Together, they unpack why so many Kazakh and Kyrgyz kids of the 1990s grew up feeling ashamed of who they were, had their names changed to Russian versions, internalized the idea that “modern” meant “not us,” and learned early that colonial hierarchies shape belonging. Zarina reflects on decolonization not as a fixed destination but as a continuous, shifting process, one where transformation itself is the only constant. In today’s rapidly changing world, she argues, the nomadic worldview may offer the most accurate metaphor for navigating identity, power, and history.The conversation touches on kinship systems, the role of women and gender in shaping identities, and how colonialism has altered our relationship to memory and community. How do we reclaim stories that were muted? How do we understand ourselves when the ground beneath us is always moving?

In this episode of Yurt Jurt, host Diana Kudaibergen sits down with Ilyuza Mukhamediyarova, a Bashkort activist whose work centers on Indigenous rights, political repression, and cultural survival in today’s Russia. Together, they unpack the Baymak protests in Bashkortostan and what they reveal about the long-standing tensions between Indigenous communities and the Russian state. Ilyuza reflects on the deep disconnect between how Russians use the term “Russian” as a default national identity and how non-Russian ethnic groups within the federation experience it as an erasure. They discuss why so many Indigenous peoples refuse the label “Russian,” and how this linguistic collapse has contributed to decades of misunderstanding, assimilation, and political marginalization.The conversation also turns to the growing rift between Russian liberal opposition groups and the national republics, exploring why calls for democracy often fail to acknowledge Indigenous autonomy, colonial violence, or the right to self-determination. Finally, Diana and Ilyuza confront a difficult question for all communities facing repression: Do we have to sacrifice one generation to secure freedom for the next?

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode includes descriptions of violent repression and historical trauma. In this powerful episode of Yurt Jurt, host Diana Kudaibergen speaks with Kamila Smagulova, researcher, civil society activist, and PhD candidate in history at Leiden University, about the Jeltoksan uprising of December 1986. Kamila draws on her historical research and personal passion to explore how this protest echoes the broader history of suppressed dissent in Kazakhstan, particularly the roles of young people, and young women in particular, and how they were treated. Throughout the episode, Kamila also performs three songs, bringing her scholarly and artistic voices together in a moving tribute to memory, resistance, and identity. As a historian, Kamila reflects on how the state’s refusal to fully acknowledge these events has shaped collective memory. She situates Jeltoksan not just as a political protest but as a lasting symbol of the struggle for recognition, civic agency, and historical justice in Kazakhstan.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

In this episode of Yurt Jurt, host Diana Kudaibergen sits down with Elmira Kakabaeva, writer, educator, and founder of the course “Family Ethnography: How to Decolonize Your Writing.” Through her course and her platform on Instagram, Elmira invites Central Asians to reconnect with their roots and rethink the narratives inherited from colonial history. Diana and Elmira talk about what inspired her to create the course, how living in Russia shaped her worldview, and what decoloniality truly means in the context of Central Asia. They discuss family trees and the traditional practice of remembering one’s “seven fathers”- a lineage that excludes women, and question how we can reclaim our place in history. Can we be decolonized if we are not speaking our own languages? Together, they explore how memory, writing, and language can become tools of resistance, healing, and self-definition. Elmira also shares a reading list that shapes her work and thinking: Madina Tlostanova, Ocean Vuong (On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous), Elizabeth Acevedo (Family Lore), Isabella Hammad (The Parisian), Maria Omar (Honey and a Bit of Wormwood), Baqytgul Sarmekova (To Hell With Poets), Kamila Kovyazina (Five Years), and the writings of her course participants, such as Dinara Tengi (Gifts That We Give to the Sea) with other authors featured on Manshuq Media.

In this episode of Yurt Jurt, host Diana Kudaibergen sits down with Kamila Narysheva, artist and curator from Almaty. Together, they explore Kamila’s personal and academic journey from studying in Russia to researching the imperial legacies embedded in Kazakhstan’s history and historiography. Kamila shares how her work, which challenged dominant imperial narratives, was often met with bias and even poor grades from professors unable to evaluate her research objectively. The conversation moves beyond academia to the personal - what it means to be a Central Asian woman navigating postcolonial identity, how artificial borders created by empire continue to shape belonging, and why people in the region often identify more with cities and places than with national constructs. Diana and Kamila also reflect on how lived experience remains undervalued in academic discourse, especially when confronting uncomfortable truths such as the colonial nature of the USSR. The episode is a candid reflection on memory, identity, and the ongoing struggle to reclaim historical narratives in and about Central Asia.

In this episode of Yurt Jurt, host Diana Kudaibergen sits down with Asem Zhapisheva, journalist, activist, and a founding member of the civic movement Oyan, Qazaqstan (“Wake Up, Kazakhstan”). Together, they explore the themes of Diana’s book The Kazakh Spring and reflect on the demands of young Kazakhs for political change, transparency, and accountability. The conversation dives deep into the need for institutional transformation in Kazakhstan, the evolving role of new political actors, and how shifts in leadership affect the narratives of reform and “New Kazakhstan.” Asem also unpacks the complex dependencies of Central Asia on Russia and China, examining how this geopolitical reality fuels pressure on local politicians to silence activists and restrict civic space. They discuss how the war in Ukraine has sharpened debates across the region, with many wondering if the war’s outcome will profoundly reshape policy directions and political freedoms in Central Asia. This dialogue highlights the tension between entrenched systems of power and the rising voices of a younger generation determined to demand change, and the uncertainties of what lies ahead.

In this episode of Yurt Jurt, host Diana Kudaibergen sits down with Intizor Otaniyozova, a multidisciplinary artist based in Central Asia, whose work moves between performance, film, and cultural memory. Together, they unpack the layered questions of identity and belonging: What does it mean to be stateless? What does it mean to be Uighur - both globally and within the Central Asian context? Intizor reflects on her creative journey, from producing a documentary about Uyghur experiences in Central Asia to the influence of Beyoncé on her path. Through her art and storytelling, she opens up a dialogue on how Uyghur identity is lived, remembered, and reimagined today.