In this episode of Yurt Jurt, Aidai Aidarova speaks with Terrell J. Starr, journalist, podcaster, and political commentator. Aidai and Terrell discuss how conversations about colonialism and decolonization often remain trapped within African or Western frameworks, overlooking former Soviet and Central Asian experiences. Together, they explore how these global narratives are shifting and what it means to live, write, and think decolonially beyond borders and geography.
Terrell shares how living in Ukraine reshaped his understanding of race, identity, and decoloniality. He reflects on his realization that in the U.S., “Caucasian” is synonymous with “white,” while in reality, the peoples of the Caucasus are the true Caucasians – a revelation that challenged his perception of race and belonging.
More content from this blog
- The Multipolar Spin: How Fascists Operationalize Left-Wing Resentment, by Alexander Reid Ross – 9 March 2018
- Russia’s Ethnic Minorities in the Struggle against Cultural Imperialism, by Vlada Baranova and Tsypylma Darieva – 5 April 2023
- Saudi Arabia’s Break With Interventionism, by Sultan Alamer – 6 February 2026
- What Everyone on the Left Should Know About Taiwan (At the Minimum), by Ralf Ruckus – 17 June 2025
- Which Way, Western Marxism?, by Patrick Iber – Summer 2026
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