Is political theory essential to understand the undeniable influence of contemporary politics on our day-to-day lives? NYC-based PhD candidate Aizada Arystanbek sees academic knowledge as a tool for understanding broader structures and systems of oppression, trying to make her work accessible to a broader audience. As a scholar from Kazakhstan, she aims to produce knowledge for local communities in post-socialist North and Central Asia.
In the Kitchen Conversations podcast, she discusses her motivations for writing her latest paper ‘Decolonial Disruptions in Central Asia: Understanding Reactions to Russian Migrants in the Wake of Putin’s Mobilization’ published in South/South Movement in July 2023.
Aizada’s research revolves around gender, culture, nationalism, and decoloniality. With a Master of Arts degree in Gender Studies from Central European University and an on PhD ongoing pursuit at the Department of Sociology at Rutgers University, she views her work as a fusionof research and activism. Aizada is committed to actively contributing to the non-violent production of knowledge on Central Asia.
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