#8 'It's a privilege not to think about borders': decolonizing feminisms in Armenia and beyond

#8 'It's a privilege not to think about borders': decolonizing feminisms in Armenia and beyond

From jazve talks by jazve talks

August 11, 2025 · 42 min · Season 1 · Episode 8

About this episode

This episode discusses the decentralization of decolonial feminisms in Armenia and the politics of borders and belonging.

Decentralizing Decolonial Feminisms in Eastern Europe is a course co-created and taught by Lilit Khandakaryan, an Armenian scholar and PhD candidate in the Netherlands, and by Dr. Anna Hodel, assistant professor teaching Slavic Literatures and Cultures at Basel University in Switzerland. In this episode, we unpack the meaning behind decentralizing and decolonial feminisms in Armenia and beyond. We also discuss the politics behind borders, the 'Soviet Union', and belonging. And finally, we share art and literature recommendations from Lilit and three of her master’s students at Basel University — Sophie Graf, Marisa Sophia Rigas, and Inez den Boer — who joined us in person for this conversation. Recorded at English Park in Yerevan. DECOLONIAL FEMINIST ART & LITERATURE RECOMMENDATIONS: ARMENIA: Sweeping Yerevan (2020) documentary:  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19888840/  Ani Asatryan - https://www.instagram.com/ani.a.asatrian/ Shushan Avagyan - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/126376303-a-book-untitled 4 plus -  https://www.4plus.org/ GEORGIA: Fungus collective - https://www.projectfungus.com/fungus-collective LATVIA: Intimacy and Darkness: Feminist…

People in this episode

Guests: Lilit Khandakaryan, Sophie Graf, Marisa Sophia Rigas, Inez den Boer, Dr Anna Hodel

Topics covered

  • decolonial feminisms
  • Armenia
  • borders
  • Soviet Union
  • belonging
  • art
  • literature

Keywords

  • Eastern Europe
  • feminism
  • art recommendations
  • literature recommendations

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Sweeping Yerevan documentary, Ani Asatryan, Shushan Avagyan's book

Books & works: Decentralizing Decolonial Feminisms in Eastern Europe, PhD, Slavic Literatures and Cultures

Places: Armenia, Netherlands, Switzerland, the 'Soviet Union, Yerevan, GAZA, North Gaza

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