Continuing our discussion of colonial knowledge, we would like to expand our perspective on colonialism in Post-Soviet countries. Was the Soviet Union a colonial power? What was the Soviet policy in Central Asia? How did colonial history transform into non-colonial history? How did the Soviet Union shape Central Asian countries within their long-held political and cultural stances?

We will touch upon the situation in Kazakhstan, in particular. How did the Soviet Union affect the nationalistic view of the Kazakh nation? How did it develop after the fall of the USSR? Who were the main figures advocating for national independence?

The activities and events for the week are:

• Watch posted video-lectures by Kara and Hasena
• Read and annotate readings by leaving comments below
• Discussion facilitators: engage with the topics by asking questions about readings and videos directly from Mila, Kara, and Hasena in the comments section below 
• Initiate discussions and respond to your peers’ comments in the comments section below
• Optional: test yourself by answering questions in the self-test
• Keep writing by using the offered writing prompts or creating one of your own