Jin, jiyan, azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom): challenges to and struggle for a Kurdish alternative

In my research, I would like to focus on the Kurdish political movement and its emphasis on the women's movement and on gender-based equality in order to bring about societal (political, economic, social) changes (especially in Bakur and Rojava), contrasting it with the pursuit of capitalist and nation-state structures by Kurdish elites (Basur). This research is highly relevant and seeks to interrogate the dominant discourse of the experiences of the the brave Kurdish women fighting at the frontlines against the Islamic State (Daesh) in the Kurdish regions of Rojava and Basur. While portrayed as the ideal antithesis to Daesh, these women's experiences and lives are often romanticised and reduced to their fighting capabilities. This project would instead ethnographically examine their everyday experiences within the wider social and political context of the movement. This less sensationalised larger project is articulated by the declaration of Rojava as a confederate democracy, inspired by Abdullah Öcalan's (2015) and Murray Bookchin's (2016) ideas. Current analyses often overlook the holistic context that encompasses the history, geography, struggles, and (arguably) contradictions that are found in Kurdistan. My research intends to fill this gap, and Kurdistan offers an ethnographically and theoretically rich space to work with people who imagine and live, amongst others, in opposition to dominant political and economic systems.