Obscuristan

About Obscuristan

Join political scientist Karena and total civilian Anna on a trip to Obscuristan. Each week, Karena and Anna dive into a truly bizarre story from Eurasia in its full political, social, and imperialist context. Join us, and you’ll find out why Obscuristan isn’t so strange at all when you consider the sh*t it’s been through. Find us on twitter @ObscuristanPod Music by Sarven Yapar.

Publisher

Brought to you by Karena Avedissian and Anna

Category

government

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Oct 2022

Latest episode

22 Mar 2025

Latest episodes

2 of 7 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   22 Mar 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Ep. 6: Erased in Artsakh, Edited in Istanbul

   In this episode, I join Elia Ayoub of The Fire These Times to speak with Efe Levent, editor of Mangal Media, about what it meant to collaborate on my article "Thunder, The Rose, and Ethnic Cleansing" about the erasure of Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh. When a Turkish editor and an Armenian writer come together to shape this story about the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Artsakh, history becomes part of the editing process. We discuss the challenges and revelations of working across a painful history, how the Armenian Genocide shaped our respective perspectives, and why narratives of suffering—whether of victims or perpetrators—must be told with nuance. We also reflect on the blind spots of white Western analysts when it comes to struggles on the periphery. This is a conversation about editing, history, and the power of storytelling for memory and bridging divides. Links mentioned: - The Fire These Times: https://thefirethesetimes.com - Article "Thunder, The Rose, and Ethnic Cleansing": https://mangalmedia.substack.com/p/thunder-the-rose-and-ethnic-cleansing Obscuristan is a proud member of From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: - From The Periphery: https://fromtheperiphery.com - Mutual Aid Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5yOQU0aXxIaaxMS4GNfhXA - Politically Depressed: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/politically-depressed/id1723536158 - Antidote Zine: https://antidotezine.com How to Support: - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fromtheperiphery - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/from-the-periphery/id6502243642 - Monthly Hangouts: https://fromtheperiphery.com/hangout Find us: - Karena Avedissian: https://bsky.app/profile/karena1.bsky.social - Efe Levent/Mangal Media: https://mangalmedia.substack.com & https://www.instagram.com/mangalmedia - Elia Ayoub: https://spore.social/@ayoub, https://www.instagram.com/eliajayoub, https://bsky.app/profile/ayoub.bsky.social, Newsletter: https://hauntologies.net - The Fire These Times: https://www.instagram.com/firethesetimes, https://www.youtube.com/@thefirethesetimes, https://thefirethesetimes.com - From The Periphery: https://www.patreon.com/fromtheperiphery, https://bsky.app/profile/fromtheperiphery.bsky.social, https://www.youtube.com/@thefirethesetimes, https://instagram.com/fromtheperipherymedia, https://fromtheperiphery.com Credits: Hosts: Karena Avedissian and Elia Ayoub | Guest: Efe Levent | Sound Editor: Elliott Miskovicz (http://www.astickandastone.com) *From The Periphery* is built by Elia Ayoub, Leila Al-Shami, Ayman Makarem, Dana El Kurd, Karena Avedissian, Daniel Voskoboynik, Anna M, Aydın Yıldız, Ed S, Alice Bonfatti and israa abd elfattah. [⁠](http://www.astickandastone.com/)

2. 

   15 Mar 2024TRANSCRIPT

   Ep. 5: Navalny from the Periphery

   Anna and Karena are ~back~ with special guest Daniel Voskoboynik to discuss the life of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and what his death means for those of us not quite at the heart of the Russian empire. PLUS a few special announcements about a wonderful new project in the works. Follow us on https://thefirethesetimes.com/ for more updates on that! Music by Sarven Yapar.

3. 

   12 Nov 2022

   Ep. 4: Bolshoi Colonizer Energy

   Karena and Anna share some gossip on the recent influx of Russian emigres in Yerevan following the War on Ukraine and discuss the pros, cons, consequences, and colonizer vibes that have accompanied them.

4. 

   4 Nov 2022

   Ep. 3: Dictator Decolonization Disco

   Karena tells Anna about Emomali Rahmon's recent decolonial girlboss moment. Anna encourages him to #quietquit instead. Our hosts also have a chat about what colonial consciousness looks like in Eurasia and what we can learn from talking to each other. Find us on Twitter @ObscuristanPod Produced by Samson Martirosyan. Music by Sarven Yapar.

5. 

   2 Nov 2022

   Ep. 2: Turkmenbashi is a Bad Boyfriend

   Karena tells us about the life and times of Turkmenbashi I, which brings her and Anna to a discussion about the absurdity of cults of personality, the damage they cause, and the empathy we extend to their victims depending on where they are. Find us on Twitter @ObscuristanPod Music by Sarven Yapar. Production by Samson Martirosyan.

6. 

   21 Oct 2022

   Ep. 1: Pink Top, Tits, and Microphone

   Anna and Karena discuss the illustrious career of none other than Russian pop-star Philipp Kirkorov, what his path tells us about gay rights in Russia, and why joining the Russian elite is never it, fam. Find us on Twitter @ObscuristanPod Music by Sarven Yapar.

7. 

   14 Oct 2022

   Ep. 0: Keeping Up With the Caucasus (And Why You Can't)

   Karena and Anna discuss the ongoing conflict in Armenia and tell you a little bit about why you are having the worst time keeping up with any of it. Find us on Twitter @ObscuristanPod Music by Sarven Yapar.

Inside a recent episode

Ep. 6: Erased in Artsakh, Edited in Istanbul

Published 22 Mar 2025 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Could you kind of as we kind of close the conversation could you talk a bit about the maybe political environment in Turkey and where we're at now I mean from you know from people I speak to people are leaving it's a bit the the environment there's a more tense if it's something you feel comfortable talking about. I'm definitely fatigued as much as doctors use about that but I don't know is there any specific that you want to know about or like to speak general. Yeah in terms of you know you were saying that there's so few people are left who could you know read that. Oh I meant that in the sense that they just can't read Armenian. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

11 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 26 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

13

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

96

Contact Obscuristan

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.