In her talk, Dr. Tamar Koplatadze introduces decolonial cultural movements in Central Asia and discusses

their implications for anticolonial movements beyond the region. Her analysis will focus on the ecopoetics of

Hamid Ismailov’s novella „The Dead Lake“ (2015), showing how inextricably it intertwines questions of

identity, nature and music. While uniquely shaped by Kazakh flora and fauna, as well as the local traditions of

akyr zaman, zar zaman and aitys, Ismailov’s ecomusical language transcends the boundaries of nationality and

citizenships. In doing so, it evokes solidarity with the various human and non-human beings and landscapes

of Central Asia.

The talk further proposes two intertwined concepts for the analysis of decolonial movements in Central Asia

and potentially beyond: „retroactive colonialism” and „post-Soviet ecopoetics”. Highlighting Cenrtal Asian

cultures’ turn towards postcolonial revisionism and activism in its ecological and supraethnic dimensions,

Tamar Koplatadze proposes a truly inclusive, locally developed decolonial vision in the post-Soviet space.

During the talk, a sandwich lunch and coffee will be served.