Yurt Jurt

Bashtan Bashta

Yurt Jurt - a podcast about decolonizing Central Asia and Beyond produced by Central Asian activists. Hosted by Dr. Diana Kudaibergen, Yurt Jurt dives deep into the decoloniality and decolonization of Central Asian and North Asian nations. Each episode brings insightful conversations that challenge historical narratives and reimagine futures for the region. Whether you're a scholar or simply curious about decolonial movements, Yurt Jurt unpacks the complex histories and cultures —all in English. Join us for thought-provoking discussions on heritage, colonialism, propaganda, identity, and transformation. Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yurtjurt

  1. 5D AGO

    When Anti-Imperialism Becomes Selective with Tereza Hendl

    In this episode of Yurt Jurt, Diana Kudaibergen is joined by philosopher Tereza Hendl, whose work focuses on global health justice and decolonial thought, for a timely and unflinching conversation about the political moment we are living through. Together, they unpack the global rise of the far-right and examine how contemporary systems of capitalism, white supremacy, and Western-centrism continue to shape whose suffering is recognized, and whose is erased. They interrogate the dangerous narrative that formerly colonized peoples should feel “grateful” for modernization, a claim that glosses over histories of trauma, extraction, cultural erasure, and violence. The discussion turns inward as well: the left is not immune from critique. Tereza and Diana explore how certain strands of progressive politics fall into inconsistency and exceptionalism, arguing that principles applied to Western imperialism somehow cannot be applied elsewhere. They reflect on how parts of the left slip into authoritarian reasoning, or romanticize state power, including the persistent whitewashing of the USSR. They examine the myth of the “friendship of nations” in the Soviet Union, and how the narrative that “Russia was less severe than the West” distorts accountability and risks normalizing or relativizing violence. This is a conversation about refusing propaganda, rejecting exceptionalism, and building a politics that does not reproduce the very harms it claims to oppose.

    1h 28m

  2. FEB 5

    Praising Native Languages in a Post-Imperial World with Dinara Rasuleva

    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.

    34 min

  3. JAN 22

    Language, Memory, and Literature with Egana Djabbarova

    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.

    41 min

  4. JAN 8

    De_colonialanguage and the Politics of Naming with Denis Esakov

    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.

    1h 2m

  5. 12/18/2025

    90s Shame, Kinship & Decolonial Futures with Zarina Mukanova

    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?

    1h 31m

  6. 12/11/2025

    Bashkort Struggles and the Limits of Russian Liberalism with Ilyuza Mukhamediyarova

    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?

    37 min

  7. 12/04/2025

    Memory as Resistance: Kamila Smagulova on the Jeltoksan Uprising

    ⚠️ 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.

    37 min

  8. 11/27/2025

    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.

    1h 3m
See All (22)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Yurt Jurt - a podcast about decolonizing Central Asia and Beyond produced by Central Asian activists. Hosted by Dr. Diana Kudaibergen, Yurt Jurt dives deep into the decoloniality and decolonization of Central Asian and North Asian nations. Each episode brings insightful conversations that challenge historical narratives and reimagine futures for the region. Whether you're a scholar or simply curious about decolonial movements, Yurt Jurt unpacks the complex histories and cultures —all in English. Join us for thought-provoking discussions on heritage, colonialism, propaganda, identity, and transformation. Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yurtjurt

Information

  • Creator
    Bashtan Bashta
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    22
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    2026 © Bashtan Bashta. Все права защищены.
  • Show Website
    Yurt Jurt