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

Hi all,
I’ve been working as a journalist for over a decade and before that I was an NGO worker, and a student in several different countries. In all of them, left-wing movements, activists, including Marxist groups, were presents in different shapes and forms. I met them regularly during protests, conferences and they were part of my social circles. This is not the case in Central Asia.
When I...

Episode 47: Does Central Asia need left-wing politics?

Central Asia is undergoing rapid social and economic transformation. Digitalisation and internet access are expanding, while new infrastructure and development investments are growing across the region.
But despite this progress, many areas remain overlooked by local governments and international institutions supporting development programmes. And the rapid pace of change itself brings new chal...

Episode 46: Where is development taking Central Asia?

This week, we’re talking about the much-maligned but also much-overused concept of the “post-Soviet”. To unpack this term, we are joined by Erica Marat, a Washington DC-based academic, originally from Kyrgyzstan. 
Her research focuses on organised crime, violence, mobilisation, and security institutions in Central Asia, North Asia, and Europe. She is the author of several books, most recently D...

Episode 45: Is “post-Soviet” still relevant?

China’s presence is increasingly visible across Central Asia. Chinese-made electric vehicles are becoming more common on the roads, Chinese companies are investing in the local markets, and more young people are choosing to study in China.
Yet research by Edward Lemon and Bradley Jardine found that China is viewed less favourably than any other major power in Central Asia. Why is that? How has ...

Episode 44: Why does China have an image problem in Central Asia?

Tajikistan has emerged as a leading advocate for global water cooperation. Yet as the water crisis worsens across Central Asia and beyond, finding solutions has become increasingly urgent.
 
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Can Tajikistan fix Central Asia’s water crisis?

In the last interview before the summer break, we speak with Bagila Bukharbaeva, the author of The Vanishing Generation: Faith and Uprising in Modern Uzbekistan. We discuss Uzbekistan’s turn toward religion, unpack the events that led to the Andijan massacre, and examine whether religion has ever posed a genuine threat in the country. We also talk about Bagila’s own experience covering her comm...

Episode 43: Has Islam ever posed a threat to the Uzbek state?

This week, we discuss the craft of akyns and aitysh, their poetic duels. We look into the history of this art form, its historical functions, and how these have changed during the Soviet era and since the collapse of the USSR. We also examine the social significance of aitysh and the differences between traditional akyns and those who have turned to journalism.
Joining us is Akylai Otkulbek kyz...

Episode 42: Why Central Asia still needs akyns - the poets who speak truth to power

This week, we look at cannabis economy in Kyrgyzstan: how the harvesting began, who benefits from it, and how local authorities respond to the phenomenon. Is there any incentive in Kyrgyzstan to legalise the crop? 
Joining us is Gulzat Botoeva, Associate Professor of Criminology at Swansea University and an expert on illegal economies in Eurasia, including cannabis production in Kyrgyzstan. 
 
...

Episode 41: Hashish and survival in rural Kyrgyzstan

This week, we're joined by Mark Reese - translator of Abdulla Qodiriy's Bygone Days from Uzbek to English, academic and entrepreneur. We talk about the cultural and social significance of Bygone Days, the message it conveyed about the past, present, and future of the region, and the lessons we can draw from it today.
We also discuss his early days as a Peace Corps volunteer in Uzbekistan, his l...

Episode 40: Abdulla Qodiriy's "Bygone Days" and the fight for intellectual property rights

This week, we’re diving into the fascinating history of Central Asian cinema and the ways Central Asia and Central Asians have been portrayed in foreign films. We’ll explore colonial tropes in portrayals of the region during Soviet times, how these representations influenced Central Asians’ self-image, and how they changed after the fall of the Soviet Union.
We’ll also talk about different wave...

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