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Artwork for Turan Tales
Central Asia
Uzbekistan
Kazakhstan
Tajikistan
Kyrgyzstan
Russia
Turkmenistan
China
Women's Rights
Shavkat Mirziyoyev
Emomali Rahmon
Kloop
Almaty
Soviet Union
Ukraine
Gulnara Karimova
Dariga Nazarbayeva
Oguljahan Atabayeva
Press Freedom Index
Astana

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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes64Founded2 years ago
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Latest Episodes

My guest today, Almira Tabaeva, has been studying feminism and female agency in Central Asia. As an Uzbekistani citizen herself, she has drawn on her family archive and family memories to tell a bigger story about women in the region: their history, ... more

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The Ilkhom Theatre, founded in 1976 by Uzbekistani theatre director Mark Weil, is an institution like no other, not only in Central Asia but far beyond it. Brave, unconventional and visionary, it has provided a space for freedom of expression and soc... more

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In the context of Central Asia, there is one insufferable metaphor that makes my eyes roll every time I see it. And unfortunately, we all see it often. It’s the metaphor of the Great Game. Whether we are analyzing the diversification of Central Asian... more

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In late June, my guest today and I travelled to Oziornoye, a Polish village in northern Kazakhstan. It was a special occasion: the 90th anniversary of the deportation of ethnic Poles from the eastern borderlands of the Soviet Union to Kazakhstan.

B... more

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Since the 1990s, thousands of ethnic Kazakhs have left Chinese Xinjiang for Kazakhstan to live among their own people and escape Hanification. But crossing the border did not mean escaping China’s reach.

Get full access to Turan Tales at turantales... more

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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 shape... more

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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 o... more

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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 c... more

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Recent Guests

Irina Bharat
Director of International Programs at Ilkhom Theatre since 2005
Ilkhom Theatre
Episode: Episode 50: Ilkhom - The boldest theatre in Central Asia
Alexander Morrison
Historian of empire and colonial warfare at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
Episode: Episode 49: The Great Game that never was
Ivan Sokolovskiy
Historian focused on Polish Deputations, PhD candidate in Eurasian Studies at Nazarbayev University
Nazarbayev University, Astana
Episode: Episode 48: What Soviet Kazakhstan had in store for Poles deported by Stalin - and where they are now
Dina Nurtebay
35-year-old shop owner, born in Xinjiang, resident of Almaty region
Entrepreneur/Community member
Episode: Blood brothers: How China’s war against Muslims spilled over to Kazakhstan
Alimnur Turganbay
47-year-old truck driver from Kazakhstan who disappeared in China
Citizen with a personal history of detention
Episode: Blood brothers: How China’s war against Muslims spilled over to Kazakhstan
Serikzhan Bilash
Businessman and Kazakh activist who helped families of detainees
Activist/Founder of Atajot
Episode: Blood brothers: How China’s war against Muslims spilled over to Kazakhstan
Edward Lemon
President of the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, co-author
Think tank / Author
Episode: Blood brothers: How China’s war against Muslims spilled over to Kazakhstan
Georgy Mamedov
Independent curator, writer and activist from Dushanbe
Independent/Academic
Episode: Episode 47: Does Central Asia need left-wing politics?
Akmaral Sman
Kazakhstani gender and development specialist
International NGOs, UN agencies, and IFIs
Episode: Episode 46: Where is development taking Central Asia?

Host

Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska
Host of Turan Tales

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Episode 50: Ilkhom - The boldest theatre in Central Asia
Q: How did the murder of Mark Weil affect Ilkhom and its direction after his death?
The company faced a period of instability and had to quickly redefine leadership; Boris Gafurov emerged as a leader, the troupe rebuilt, and Ilkhom continued with international collaborations and new directors to maintain its independent, brave ethos.
Episode 50: Ilkhom - The boldest theatre in Central Asia
Q: How did Ilkhom Theatre come to be founded and what was the core idea behind its inception?
Ilkhom began as a theatre studio in 1976 under Mark Weil, aiming to break traditional Soviet theatre norms and create a space for new forms, ideas, and artistic freedom outside the mainstream.
Episode 47: Does Central Asia need left-wing politics?
Q: How did you come to left-wing politics?
The guest explains that he became Marxist under the pressures of capitalism, a personal journey that intertwined biographical experiences in Tajikistan and exposure to Moscow's gaps between wealth and poverty, which sparked an interest in Marxist theory beyond mere leftist labels.
Episode 46: Where is development taking Central Asia?
Q: How has data and evidence-based planning affected development work?
There is a strong call for better aggregated data, gender and age breakdowns, and cross-department data synchronization to move from ad hoc, project-by-project work to a long-term impact trajectory.
Episode 46: Where is development taking Central Asia?
Q: What are the most pressing development issues in Central Asia today?
The guest highlights misaligned priorities between local needs, government policy, and donor funding, with rapid changes in technology and climate outpacing program designs, creating gaps in impact and inclusivity.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Turan Tales

What is Turan Tales about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show consistently explores underreported or overlooked stories from Central Asia, spanning politics, culture, society, and regional geopolitics. Episodes commonly unpack long-running issues such as water governance and cross-border cooperation, religious and social dynamics, censorship and freedom of expression, and the cultural legacies that shape contemporary life—from Akyns and Tengriism to cinema, literature, and diaspora experiences. A recurring strength is blending on-the-ground reporting with academic and expert perspectives, creating nuance around how history, policy, and everyday life intersect in Central Asia. The format often interleaves personal narratives with scholarly analysis, highlighting how local communities navigate ... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Turan Tales?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Turan Tales:

1. CAPS Unlock Podcast
2. Spotlight on Central Asia
3. Что это было?
4. Was jetzt?
5. Empire: World History

How many episodes of Turan Tales are there?

Turan Tales launched 2 years ago and published 64 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Turan Tales?

Recent guests on Turan Tales include:

1. Irina Bharat
2. Alexander Morrison
3. Ivan Sokolovskiy
4. Dina Nurtebay
5. Alimnur Turganbay
6. Serikzhan Bilash
7. Edward Lemon
8. Georgy Mamedov

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