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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes52Foundeda year ago
Number of ListenersCategories
NewsSociety & Culture

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Latest Episodes

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, Asso... more

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, ... more

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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 r... more

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In the 1940s, Tashkent became an unlikely centre of Yiddish culture as Eastern European Jews were evacuated to Soviet Central Asia during World War II. Yet the story has remained largely forgotten.

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

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Recent Guests

Assiya Issemberdiyeva
Kazakh film critic and researcher
Queen Mary University of London
Episode: Episode 39: What cinema can tell us about Central Asia
Ia Rudzicka
Survivor of WWII evacuation to Central Asia
Independent interviewee
Episode: Iya’s lifelines: A Jewish journey to survival in Central Asia
Ruben Nikoghosyan
lecturer in Middle, Classical, and Modern Persian Language and Literature
Ferdowsi School of Persian Literature, Isfahan State University (former)
Episode: Episode 38: Inside Turan. The Persian legacy in Central Asia
Yan Matusevich
Journalist and Ph.D. candidate focusing on Russian exiles in Central Asia
CUNY Graduate Center
Episode: Episode 37: What has become of Russia's Wartime exiles in Central Asia?
Hugo Estecahandy
PhD in Geography and Geopolitics; researcher on geopolitics of cryptocurrencies
Geopolitics of the Datasphere project; CNRS
Episode: Episode 36: Why is crypto growing in Central Asia - and who benefits?
Aksana Ismailbekova
Kyrgyz anthropologist and research fellow at the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient
Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient
Episode: Episode 35: Who is crying for Tashiev? The end of Kyrgyzstan's ruling duo
Amir Shekazhanov
Bar owner, activist; central figure behind Amirovka
Amirovka (Almaty)
Episode: Rainbow Almaty: The end of a queer dream
Abigail Scripka
PhD candidate researching Tengri-ism in Kazakhstan
Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History in Potsdam, Germany
Episode: Episode 34: Tengrism in Central Asia. From ancient belief to cultural phenomenon
Joe Luc Barnes
Author of Farewell to Russia, A Journey Through the Former USSR
Episode: Episode 33: Lessons on independence from the former Soviet republics

Hosts

Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska
Journalist and host, focused on Central Asia and underreported stories.
Diora Rafieva
Uzbek lawyer and human rights activist with focus on urban development and civil rights.

Chart Rankings

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Apple Podcasts
#94
Finland/News

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Iya’s lifelines: A Jewish journey to survival in Central Asia
Q: What is the lasting significance of these evacuee stories for current generations?
They reveal a less-known chapter of Jewish survival and cultural resilience, challenging stereotypes about relocation and showing how hospitality and mutual aid shaped communities; the stories also contextualize how memories of joint suffering have influenced identities across Ukraine, Poland, and Central Asia.
Iya’s lifelines: A Jewish journey to survival in Central Asia
Q: How did Central Asia become a hub for Jewish evacuees during and after World War II?
The evacuees were brought there due to Stalin's relocation policies, which, despite their harshness, created new communities; in Tashkent and other cities, refugees found housing, work, and a burgeoning cultural life, including Yiddish theaters and writers' unions.
Episode 39: What cinema can tell us about Central Asia
Q: Assiya, what has changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and has a decolonial perspective gained prominence in cinema since then?
Post-collapse cinema saw a funding crisis but gradually allowed new voices to emerge, notably the New Kazakh Wave and women-centered storytelling, which challenged earlier frames and foregrounded human-centered narratives over ethnographic stereotypes.
Episode 39: What cinema can tell us about Central Asia
Q: Let me start by asking you, what are the main cliches and the main stereotypes that are projected onto the region or that are told about the region in foreign movies?
The episode explains that most representations come from the Soviet gaze and post-Soviet misperceptions, with nomadic stereotypes contrasted against sedentary, exoticized images, and that Western depictions often reflect colonial frames rather than authentic Central Asian perspectives.
Episode 36: Why is crypto growing in Central Asia - and who benefits?
Q: So what has been the main reason for this shift in Central Asia toward cryptocurrencies?
The shift is driven by a dual dynamic: regulatory moves to attract foreign investment and, more prominently, the mining boom that requires substantial energy, pushing governments to regulate and formalize the sector while leveraging it to develop financial hubs.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Turan Tales

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

This show concentrates on underreported stories from Central Asia, spanning politics, society, culture, and human rights. Episodes frequently dissect governance, geopolitical dynamics, urban transformation, and social change, often through first-person accounts and expert analysis. A standout pattern is linking local experiences—such as reforms, protests, media freedom, and cultural shifts—to broader regional trends, producing a nuanced picture of life in Central Asia. The conversations regularly feature researchers, journalists, lawyers, activists, and scholars who bring on-the-ground insights and historical context, making complex issues accessible to policy professionals, researchers, and listeners seeking deeply reported regional perspe... more

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These podcasts share a similar audience with Turan Tales:

1. CAPS Unlock Podcast
2. The Foreign Affairs Interview
3. Spotlight on Central Asia
4. Что случилось
5. In Moscow's Shadows

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Turan Tales launched a year ago and published 52 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. Assiya Issemberdiyeva
2. Ia Rudzicka
3. Ruben Nikoghosyan
4. Yan Matusevich
5. Hugo Estecahandy
6. Aksana Ismailbekova
7. Amir Shekazhanov
8. Abigail Scripka

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