2017/12/22 by Eszter Spät · 52 citations
Social Sciences · #Turkey's Politics and Society #Post-Soviet Geopolitical Dynamics #Cyprus History, Politics, Society #Politics #Disappointment #Nationalism #Identity (music) #Political science #Faith #Ideology #Identity politics #Political economy #Law #Sociology #Social psychology #Theology
paper · doi:10.1080/19448953.2018.1406689
published in Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies 20(5), 420-438 (Routledge)
openalex publication_date 2017/12/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2025/11/06
This article studies the impact of the ISIS attack and its political aftermath on the identity formation of Yezidis and their political ambition for a future in Iraq. Yezidis, a previously marginalized non-Muslim religious minority, came to play an important role in the Kurdish national movement both ideologically, as the ‘guardians of the original Kurdish faith’, and practically, as a source of logistical support to the Peshmerga in the mountains. Attempts to co-opt Yezidis for the Kurdish cause, contrasted to the memory of repeated persecutions by their Muslim neighbours, resulted in a shifting Yezidi identity, ranging from identifying as Kurdish to considering themselves a distinct ethno-nationalist group. The trauma of the ISIS attack and mass displacement, as well as disappointment in the Kurdish government, weighed against the need for allies make the question of identity more relevant than ever, as it profoundly affects the ways Yezidis envisage their future existence in a post-ISIS Iraq.