The book is the result of a 3-year research project by 10 researchers on how minoritized women actively engage in building their communities in difficult circumstances such as state oppression, displacement and conflict, and a highly politicized environment. Guest lecturer at The Center for Gender Research, Wendelmoet Hamelink, was co-leader of the project.
The book explores Kurdish women’s activities in the fields of ecology, art and culture, family life, migration, and women’s activism. Uniquely, the research took place in all regions of Kurdistan, spread over Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey, as well as in the diaspora.
Women's own stories
The over 250 women interviewed for this book, talking about their perspectives on women’s rights and Kurdish rights, showed how these are often tied to each other. They reflected on the long-term actions of women aiming to improve women’s roles in their communities as well as the position of Kurds within the states they are part of.
For example, in chapter 6, written by Joanna Bocheńska, she gives the example of Rana, a photographer from Iranian Kurdistan, who talks about the significance of a sculpture in her hometown Sanandaj. The sculpture portrays the well-known Kurdish poet Mestûre Ardalan who lived in the early 19th century and who continues to inspire women today:
“I very much like the sculpture Hadî Ziaoddînî created in my city, on this street, in a place that used to be her home. It brings out a very nice feeling in me because it is a symbol that we women have existed. Yes, a woman can become a big symbol, a woman can be presented in the form of a sculpture, and you can see her magnificence.”
Uplifting activism
Previously, Hamelink has elaborated on her research within the project, focusing on “small-scale activism”, the small-scale acts of women who aim to uplift other women in their direct environment.
Wendelmoet Hamelink is a guest researcher at the Centre for Gender Research. She took a sabbatical to work on publications. She is an expert in the field of Kurdish cultural and women’s activism and women’s histories in times of conflict and migration.