Decolonising Kyrgyzstan: New Debates, New Identities
Dr Erica Marat, November 2026 15:00 GMT Online (Further Details to be confirmed shortly)
From our anniversary series – Central Asia 35
What does decolonisation mean in contemporary Kyrgyzstan? In recent years, debates about history, identity, language, and political sovereignty have gained increasing prominence across Central Asia, prompting new ways of thinking about the region’s past and future. Focusing on Kyrgyzstan as a particularly dynamic case, this lecture will explore how scholars, activists, artists, and civil society actors are challenging inherited narratives and engaging with the legacies of empire and Soviet rule. Drawing on the themes of Decolonial Disruptions in Central Asia, Dr Marat will examine how decolonial ideas are reshaping public discourse and cultural life and consider the opportunities and tensions that accompany these transformations.
Dr Erica Marat is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Regional and Analytical Studies Department at the College of International Security Affairs, National Defense University, Washington DC. A leading scholar of Central Asia, her research focuses on violence, mobilisation, policing, and security institutions across Eurasia, India, and Mexico.
She is the author and co-author of several influential works, including The Politics of Police Reform: Society against the State in Post-Soviet Countries (Oxford University Press, 2018) and, most recently, Decolonial Disruptions in Central Asia: Discussion, Practices, and Networks (Cambridge University Press, 2026). In 2026, she was appointed Editor of Central Asian Survey, a leading journal in the field. Her commentary has appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, and Open Democracy.
