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The Plight of Yazidi Women in Iraq: An Intersectional Perspective
Abstract by Rasha Altameemi On Session   ((Post)Colonial Violence)

On Tuesday, November 12 at 11:30 am

2024 Annual Meeting

Abstract
This research paper indicates the significant obstacles that Yazidi women in Iraq faced. While Iraqi women and activists fought for their rights in the post-invasion of 2003, women minorities, particularly Yazidi women, suffered “multi-marginalization” or “double discrimination.” I argue that discrimination against Yazidi women stems from their religious affiliation as well as their gender identity. I use intersectional methodology as I consider it the most suitable approach for examining Yazidi women, mainly through the lens of violence, conflict, and political, economic, and social upheaval. The term "intersectionality," coined by scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, refers to how different aspects of social identity interact and overlap, giving marginalized people who identify as having multiple distinct experiences of oppression and marginalization. More importantly, one of the objectives of my research is to highlight the horrific sexual violence against Yazidi women who were victimized by ISIS in 2014 and how it impacted women physically and psychologically. ISIS occupied the northern area of Iraq, where they raped, enslaved, and sold Yazidi women after killing their families. The Yazidis crisis is seen by the United Nations as genocide. Women's lives were vehemently altered by the genocide and sexual assault. The effects of genocide are still felt by Yazidi women. The connections between the rise of conservatism and the sense of vulnerability that fueled extremism, militarism, and sectarianism can be used to understand the brutality committed against Yazidi women. The research is based on interviews conducted with Yazidi women, along with primary and secondary sources.
Discipline
History
Geographic Area
Iraq
Sub Area
None