Patriarchy, Policy, and Nationhood – 23 October 2025

In this episode of Yurt Jurt, host Diana Kudaibergen speaks with Aizada Arystanbek, a gender researcher whose work explores the intersection of patriarchy, policy, and nationalism in Kazakhstan. Aizada discusses how state media and digital cultures construct and enforce a hegemonic image of the “ideal Kazakh woman” – one defined by modesty, motherhood, and national purity. Together, Diana and Aizada unpack how these narratives not only sustain moral policing and gendered violence but also reinforce nationalist and colonial legacies under the guise of tradition and nation-building. This conversation reflects on how gender becomes a site of control, resistance, and identity in postcolonial Central Asia, and what it means to challenge these narratives in everyday life.

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