KURDISH WOMEN: AGENTS OF CHANGE IN THE FIGHT FOR IDENTITY, LIBERATION, AND EQUALITY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47743/asas-2025-1-814Keywords:
Kurdish women, jineolojî, gender equality, democratic confederalism, PKK, YPJ (Women’s Protection Units), patriarchy, national liberationAbstract
This study explores the transformative role of Kurdish women as both political actors and armed combatants in the struggle for gender equality, national identity, and liberation. Following the establishment of a no-fly zone over Iraqi Kurdistan in 1991, some Kurdish women's organizations began to assert political demands for gender equality alongside national autonomy, which opened space for political activism and rights advocacy. The ideological shift introduced by Abdullah Öcalan, founder of the PKK, through concepts such as jineolojî and democratic confederalism, redefined women’s roles from private to public, militarized, and politically empowered spheres. Organizations like the YPJ (Women’s Protection Units) embody this shift, blending military resistance with social revolution. The war against the Islamic State further amplified their global visibility, though Western narratives often overlook the deeply political and anti-patriarchal motivations underpinning their participation. Women’s emancipation is central – not incidental – to the Kurdish revolutionary project, challenging both liberal feminist and anti-militarist paradigms. Despite persistent cultural conservatism and systemic violence, Kurdish women continue to reshape norms by linking feminist struggle with national liberation. Their engagement questions dominant models of statehood, identity, and gender, offering a radical alternative rooted in both armed resistance and ideological transformation.
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