Turan Tales

Agnieszka Pikulicka
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Turan Tales is a weekly podcast covering underreported stories of people, politics and social change in Central Asia by journalist and author Agnieszka Pikulicka turantales.substack.com

  1. 4D AGO

    Episode 29: The human rights system is in peril. What does it mean for Central Asia?

    This week, we're looking into the newly released 2026 Human Rights Watch report and how a shifting global order is reshaping human rights across Central Asia. We’re joined by Mihra Rittmann, Senior Central Asia Researcher at Human Rights Watch, to unpack key findings related to the region. Get full access to Turan Tales at turantales.substack.com/subscribe

    43 min

  2. FEB 12

    Good education: The rise and fall of Hizmet schools in Central Asia

    They promised world-class education to a region shattered by the Soviet collapse. Twenty years later, Hizmet schools fell prey to Turkey’s internal conflicts -- and their own secrecy. Get full access to Turan Tales at turantales.substack.com/subscribe

    39 min

  3. JAN 29

    Episode 28: From nomad tents to Soviet walls - The story of Central Asian carpets

    This week, we talk about carpets in Central Asia: their history, the differences between various carpet-weaving styles, the roles carpets played in different communities, and how the Soviet Union hijacked the practice of carpet making and transformed it to serve its own purposes. Joining us is Anushe Dust, a Tajik-born founder and editor-in-chief of RugMag magazine, where she uncovers the stories, memories, and secrets woven into carpets from around the world. She’s also a film critic and the curator of Carpets in Films, an ongoing archive of carpets in movies. Get full access to Turan Tales at turantales.substack.com/subscribe

    37 min

  4. JAN 22

    Episode 27: The Tajik-Afghan borderland - What’s going on and how we got here

    This week, we’re taking a closer look at the Tajik-Afghan border. In the recent months, the area appeared in the media in the context of shootings and armed clashes that costed the lives of at least ten people, according to the AFP. What do recent incidents reveal about security along the Tajik–Afghan border? And how have the relations between Tajikistan and Afghanistan evolved? To answer these questions, we trace the relationship back to the 1990s and the US invasion of Afghanistan. Joining us is Mélanie Sadozaï, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Regensburg in Germany whose work focuses on cross‑border relations between Central Asia and Afghanistan, in particular the Pamir region. Get full access to Turan Tales at turantales.substack.com/subscribe

    45 min

  5. JAN 9

    Episode 26: The limits of change in the "New Uzbekistan"

    This week is about change - and the lack thereof. We will be looking at Uzbekistan: how the country was shaped during the post-Soviet period under the regime of Islam Karimov, and what has changed since Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power. How different is the “New Uzbekistan” from the Karimov era? Joining us is Joanna Lillis, a Kazakhstan-based journalist and the author of Silk Mirage: Through the Looking Glass in Uzbekistan, published last November. Get full access to Turan Tales at turantales.substack.com/subscribe

    45 min

  6. JAN 1

    Episode 25: Black gold nation - How oil and gas shaped Kazakhstan

    Welcome to the first episode of Turan Tales in 2026! We'll look at the fascinating story of oil and gas in Kazakhstan: the history of the industry, corruption scandals, the environmental damage it likely causes and much more. Joining us is Paolo Sorbello a journalist and researcher based in Almaty, Kazakhstan. He is the English language editor at independent news outlet Vlast.kz where he also hosts Dapter, a podcast about research in Central Asia. Paolo holds a PhD from the University of Glasgow, where he researched Kazakhstan’s oil sector. Get full access to Turan Tales at turantales.substack.com/subscribe

    45 min

  7. 12/18/2025

    Episode 24: Can modern art flourish in Central Asia?

    Over the past few months, Central Asia has witnessed a series of significant developments in the art world, from the opening of the Almaty Museum of Arts, the largest modern art museum in the region, to the launch of the first-ever Bukhara Biennale. As new institutions, exhibitions, and art spaces continue to emerge across the region, a larger question arises: Can modern art flourish in Central Asia? To find out, we’re joined by Timur Karpov, a documentary photographer and cultural entrepreneur from Uzbekistan, and the founder of the 139 Documentary Centre. Get full access to Turan Tales at turantales.substack.com/subscribe

    46 min

  8. 12/11/2025

    Episode 23: After the elections - Inside the “New Kyrgyzstan”

    On November 30th, Kyrgyzstan went to the polls to elect a new parliament - the first since Sadyr Japarov became president in 2021 following a revolution just a few months earlier.  How exactly has Kyrgyzstan changed under Japarov, who has ruled in tandem with the powerful head of the security services, Kamchybek Tashiev? And what should we know about the latest election? To find out, I spoke to Asel Doolotkeldieva, a research fellow at the University of Potsdam, a critical political scientist and political sociologist who has widely published on Kyrgyzstan’s revolutionary politics and the populist turn of October 2020. Get full access to Turan Tales at turantales.substack.com/subscribe

    43 min
See All (38)

About

Turan Tales is a weekly podcast covering underreported stories of people, politics and social change in Central Asia by journalist and author Agnieszka Pikulicka turantales.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Agnieszka Pikulicka
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Turan Tales
  • Show Website
    Turan Tales

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