Queering the ancient Epic of Manas: “Scary and extremely exciting at the same time”

For the fifth time the Hélène Phoa Gender Studies Research Thesis Prize has been awarded. This year’s winner is Aikokul Ibraeva with her thesis titled Queering The Epic of Manas, or How Have Sexuality and Gender Been Constructed in Kyrgyz Culture. Ibraeva argues that while heteronormativity in Kyrgyzstan is often seen as rooted in the famous ancient Epic of Manas, a deeper analysis reveals that its historical and cultural context is not heteronormative at all.

“Bold and innovative”

Ibraeva received the award from Nicole Phoa, one of Hélène Phoa’s sisters, following the graduation ceremony for the research Master’s in Gender Studies. In her research, she analysed the sexualities, relationships, and exaggerated physical abilities of the heroes in the Manas epic. She employed queer theory and decolonial perspectives to interpret the narrative in a fresh and innovative way.

The jury praised the work as “bold and innovative” and valued Ibraeva’s sharp analysis of the role of Manas in Kyrgyz history, from the Soviet era to contemporary nationalism. Jury chair Berteke Waaldijk (Gender History, Utrecht University) highlighted how the research demonstrates the limitations of applying Western ideas to non-Western contexts.

“We were equally impressed by how Ibraeva utilised her two-year GEMMA fellowship in Utrecht and Lodz to explore such a novel and unexplored topic and connect it with contemporary queer theory. Her thesis not only meets high academic standards, but also highly relevant to activists worldwide who advocate for gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights.”

Hélène Phoa Thesis Prize

The Hélène Phoa Gender Studies Research Thesis Prize was established in memory of Hélène Phoa. It came into being as a way for her family to turn their grief and sadness into something positive. With the help of generous family members and friends, and supported by the Gender Studies team, the Phoa family set up a dedicated fund at the Utrecht University Fund. This way, Phoa’s love for gender studies and her fight for diversity and inclusion will be continued and commemorated.

As in 2023, the jury stressed that awarding the prizes should not be seen as an indication that the Phoa family supports, or rejects, any of the political stances by the authors of the theses. Such a positioning would also have been beyond the three criteria for awarding the prize: originality, reaching out to new readers, and exceptional perseverance.

Interview with Aikokul Ibraeva

Aikokul Ibraeva is the fifth recipient of the Hélène Phoa Gender Studies Research Thesis Prize. As a student in the Erasmus Mundus Master’s Degree for Women’s and Gender Studies (GEMMA), Ibraeva conducted her studies in part at Utrecht University and at the University of Lodz, Poland. Her thesis was supervised by Aminata Mbaye (Utrecht University) and Marek Wojtaszek (University of Lodz).

How does it feel to receive the Hélène Phoa Gender Studies Research Thesis Prize?

“I feel honoured and grateful to the family of Hélène Phoa for this beautiful way to continue her legacy. The selection process must have been tough. Theses for the Gender Studies research Master’s programme and GEMMA range widely in topics and methodologies, and for every student it is a deeply close and personal process of work. I am grateful for the selection committee’s work.”

What was the topic of your thesis?

“The topic of my research is queering the ancient Epic of Manas – the oral knowledge and oral history of Kyrgyz people. I was inspired by the lecture of Doctor Rüstem Ertuğ Altınay at the NOISE Summer school in September 2023, where we studied Queer, Trans, Sexual Archives. Doctor Altinay’s lecture was dedicated to the epistemological challenge of ‘unlikely’ queer archives in the Ottoman Empire, which inspired me to uncover sexuality and genders in Manas, the biggest Epic in Turkic culture.”

“I decided to centre my study explicitly on historical archives and interviews in Kyrgyzstan, also as a part of decolonial resistance, as Kyrgyzstan was a part of Soviet Union, and rereading the story against the grain, against the previous colonial and religious, ultra-right nationalist reading, interpretation, and censorship.”

What was the research and writing process like?

“It was scary and extremely exciting at the same time. I had very few resources on queer reading of Manas to build the knowledge on, and mostly I created new knowledge via interviews, translations with linguists, and searched all over the Internet and libraries to test my arguments using.”

“I used what queer scholars call ‘scavenger methodology’. I was doubting the topic and myself, thinking that I can’t grasp, cover, or analyse the whole epochal and giant Epic of Manas which consist of 500,000 verses. I felt too small and too alone to do so. Also, I sometimes hesitated to pursue a such a queer reading – since it can cause direct legal implications in my country. Several interviews with storytellers of The Epic were refused, possibly because of such risks. After each refusal I was doubting myself, asking whether I did something wrong, completely wrong to my culture.”

“Nonetheless, with the support of friends, a partner, and professors I finished my thesis successfully. I still feel small towards Manas, and it needs years of study, but I’m glad I scratched the surface and opened a conversation in academia about my Kyrgyz culture. In doing so, I hope to honour both the rich cultural heritage of The Epic and the queer identities it represents while also standing in solidarity with the queer community in Kyrgyzstan.”

What does the future hold for you?

“I have been invited to be a member of the jury for the thesis prize next year, so that is something to look forward to. Ideally, I would love to continue the research on the Epic of Manas and share results with communities, find a funding for a PhD project – here in the Netherlands, or somewhere else in the world!”