Education:

• 2024-Ongoing, Doctoral student at Free University of Berlin, Institute for East European Studies

Thesis title: Sociocultural Transformations of Ethnic Kazakhs in Khrushchev-Era Kazakhstan: Islam and Traditions Amidst the “Virgin Lands” Campaign

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Robert Kindler

• August 2022–June 2024, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan / School of Sciences and Humanities / MA in Eurasian Studies Program, CGPA 3.79 

Thesis title: The Reflection of Vladimir Soloviev’s Philosophy in Andrei Tarkovskii’s Cinematic Narratives 

Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Amanda Murphy, Prof. Dr. Daniel Scarborough; External Reader: Prof. Dr. Robert Efird 

• September 2018–June 2022, Suleyman Demirel University, Almaty, Kazakhstan / School of Law and Social Sciences / BA in Social Studies (TV and Multimedia Journalism, graduated with honours), CGPA. 3.79 

Thesis title: Ethical Issues in Personal Data Disclosure in Central Asian Mass Media

Supervisors: Prof. Berdak Bayimbetov, Prof. Dr. Madiyar Saudbayev

Work Experience:

• 2020–2022, Publishing Editor, ‘TechnoBatyr’ LTD–OYLA Popular-Science Magazine
• May–August 2019, News Editor, ‘Akjaiyq’ RTRK

Research Experience

• March 2024–Ongoing / Research Assistant at Jana Adebiet Project, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan / Engaged in research on Kazakh Soviet literature, with a particular focus on the Kazakh Soviet journals
• December 2021–May 2022 / Performed theory-based research on the changes in mass media strategies in Almaty, Kazakhstan
• August 2021–April 2022 / Archive of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan / Experienced in working with archives and conducting qualitative research 
• August 2021–December 2021 / Researched ethics in personal data disclosure issues with the financial aid of Law Media School 

History of Soviet and Post-Soviet Kazakhstan; Islam in the Soviet Union; Religion and Religiousity of Soviet Kazakhs; Central Asian History; Soviet Kazakh Literature; The Cinema of Soviet Kazakhstan; Experimental Soviet Cinematography; Soviet Nation-Building in Central Asia, Socialist and Soviet Studies; Central Asian Culture in Soviet and post-Soviet era.

PhD Thesis Preliminary Title:  Sociocultural Transformations of Ethnic Kazakhs in Khrushchev-Era Kazakhstan: Islam and Traditions Amidst the “Virgin Lands” Campaign

This research examines the reconfiguration and institutionalisation of Soviet power by investigating the transformative effects of Khrushchev's Anti-Religious (1953–1964) and Virgin Lands (1954–1965) campaigns on ethnic Kazakhs in western Kazakhstan. While the Virgin Lands campaign was primarily focused on northern Kazakhstan, it also had a significant impact on the western regions of the republic, resulting in significant changes to the social, cultural, and environmental landscapes. The project explores how Soviet authorities employed colonial and modernising strategies to consolidate control over ethnic Kazakhs, attempting to impose Soviet ideals while undermining local religious and cultural traditions. The traditional practices of the Kazakh people demonstrate how Soviet policies aimed at creating conformity inadvertently reestablished and strengthened Kazakh customs (salt-dastyr), cultural expressions (madeniet), and Islamic traditions.