Kurdish Women's Stories - edited by Houzan Mahmoud (Pluto Press)

The women of Kurdistan have experienced a life like no other. From Saddam Hussein's reign of terror, to the fight against ISIS today, violence, revolution and questions around identity, agency, survival and resistance have been at the forefront of women's lives for decades.

This is a collection of Kurdish women's stories written in their own words. Each story reveals a tapestry of experiences, including political activism under Saddam and armed resistance in Rojava's PKK and YPG and in Rojhalat's Komala. This is in addition to experiences of FGM and overcoming victimhood, life under extreme conservatism, as well as a look into the work of artists, poets, novelists and performers whose work demonstrates a complicated relationship with Kurdistan.

These rich insights come from a group of women from a nation without a state, who are now scattered across the world. Collectively, they take the reader on a journey that will inspire feminist, anti-fascist and anti-racist people everywhere.

"Intimate accounts of the everyday lives of different Kurdish women, showing us not only their hardships but their courage, resolve and complex humanity"
— Nadje Al-Ali, Professor, Brown University

"Captivating, intimate and insightful"
— Dr. Shahrzad Mojab, Professor, University of Toronto

"Fascinating and inspiring"
— Meredith Tax, author of A Road Unforeseen

"Kurdish women have historically been subjected to violence and erasure. In light of this, expressing their own truths is a politically radical stance. This is a valuable contribution."
— Dilar Dirik, author of The Kurdish Women's Movement

Houzan Mahmoud is a Kurdish feminist, writer, public lecturer and anti-war activist. She has written for the Guardian, openDemocracy, Independent and New Statesman.

First published by Pluto Press, 2021
Edited by Houzan Mahmoud
English, 240 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7453-4114-9
19,8 x 12,9 cm