Last year, I was writing three grant proposals. Each focused on a different group: women entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs with disabilities, and grassroots trainers. But this time, I took a different path. I chose to root each proposal in the philosophy of Abai Kunanbaev—Kazakhstan’s great poet, philosopher, and thinker.
Abai’s idea of the Tolyk Adam (the Holistic Human) centers not on physical perfection but on the harmony of heart, mind, and will. I built my case around this: that even those with physical disabilities possess everything they need to become complete human beings. That women entrepreneurs can be guided not by imported empowerment models, but by indigenous wisdom. That local philosophies hold immense power for transformation.
Many discouraged me. “These grants are evaluated in the West.” “No one knows who Abai is.” “It’s too risky to use an indigenous framework.”
But I was done borrowing theories that don’t fit. I stayed true to what I believe: we don’t need to keep looking towards the West for validation, inspiration, or legitimacy. We have all we need in our own histories, cultures, and contexts.
🌿 Today, I’m proud to say that all three proposals were funded—over half a million USD in total. And every single activity is rooted in Abai’s poetry, his wisdom and in his philosophy.
So here’s my message to scholars in the Global South:
Stop using theories that were never meant for us.
Start building knowledge from our ground.
Trust that wisdom lives in your language, your land, your people.
Let’s write our own theory. Let’s make it speak to the lives we know.
hashtag#DecolonizingKnowledge hashtag#IndigenousPhilosophy hashtag#Abai hashtag#GlobalSouthScholarship hashtag#Entrepreneurship hashtag#Kazakhstan hashtag#TolykAdam hashtag#AcademicInspiration hashtag#GrantSuccess hashtag#WomenEntrepreneurs hashtag#DisabledEntrepreneurs hashtag#CapacityBuilding hashtag#LocalWisdom hashtag#ResearchThatMatters
Photo: During one of the training sessions, the trainess were tasked with drawing Abai as an entrepreneur. Here’s my sketch of Abai as a bookseller, standing among shelves of poetry, philosophy, and reflection, offering not just products, but perspective.
Abai’s idea of the Tolyk Adam (the Holistic Human) centers not on physical perfection but on the harmony of heart, mind, and will. I built my case around this: that even those with physical disabilities possess everything they need to become complete human beings. That women entrepreneurs can be guided not by imported empowerment models, but by indigenous wisdom. That local philosophies hold immense power for transformation.
Many discouraged me. “These grants are evaluated in the West.” “No one knows who Abai is.” “It’s too risky to use an indigenous framework.”
But I was done borrowing theories that don’t fit. I stayed true to what I believe: we don’t need to keep looking towards the West for validation, inspiration, or legitimacy. We have all we need in our own histories, cultures, and contexts.
🌿 Today, I’m proud to say that all three proposals were funded—over half a million USD in total. And every single activity is rooted in Abai’s poetry, his wisdom and in his philosophy.
So here’s my message to scholars in the Global South:
Stop using theories that were never meant for us.
Start building knowledge from our ground.
Trust that wisdom lives in your language, your land, your people.
Let’s write our own theory. Let’s make it speak to the lives we know.
hashtag#DecolonizingKnowledge hashtag#IndigenousPhilosophy hashtag#Abai hashtag#GlobalSouthScholarship hashtag#Entrepreneurship hashtag#Kazakhstan hashtag#TolykAdam hashtag#AcademicInspiration hashtag#GrantSuccess hashtag#WomenEntrepreneurs hashtag#DisabledEntrepreneurs hashtag#CapacityBuilding hashtag#LocalWisdom hashtag#ResearchThatMatters
Photo: During one of the training sessions, the trainess were tasked with drawing Abai as an entrepreneur. Here’s my sketch of Abai as a bookseller, standing among shelves of poetry, philosophy, and reflection, offering not just products, but perspective.
