Activism and its Moral and Cultural Foundations: Alternative Citizenship and the Role of Women in Kurdistan and the Diaspora (ALCITfem) is an interdisciplinary research project encompassing literary, anthropological, gender and social studies. From the point of view of methods and theoretical background, it combines humanities and social research through the cooperation of the following institutes: Kurdish Studies Studio of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Faculty of Philology of the Jagiellonian University (PSK IO UJ, Kraków), the Center for Gender Studies at the University of Oslo (STK, Senter for Tverrfaglig Kjonnsforskning), the Center for Advanced Population and Religious Studies (CASPAR) at the University of Economics in Krakow (UEK), Fafo, the Institute of Labor and Social Research (Oslo) and the Asia and Pacific Museum (Warsaw). The aim of the project is to examine how the Kurds, being a nation without their own state structures and institutions, operate outside such structures, independently building social and cultural institutions in the countries of which they are citizens.

Over the past five years, the Kurdistan region, located in the heart of the Middle East and divided between four nation states (Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey), has undergone profound changes. Some of them brought hope and inspiration to the Kurds, while others led to violations of individual and collective rights. Although these major transformations led in many cases to the relocation of entire communities and the destruction of many institutions, at the same time, both in the Kurdish homeland and in the diaspora, many new activists and organizations appeared on the scene.

Both internationally and locally, the Kurds are better known for their guerrilla warfare and violent clashes than for their peaceful activism. The focus on violence, both in academic studies and media coverage, has led to the relative invisibility of Kurdish cultural and social activism, even though it is this form of activism that is responsible for significant changes within the Kurdish community. Despite the limitations caused by state oppression, local cultural centers, women’s organizations but also individual activists such as artists, writers and intellectuals contributed to shaping new narratives and moral imaginations. Because both women’s voices and activities have typically received less attention, ALCITfem aims to focus on the role of women, as well as ideas and moral narratives regarding the social position of women and men.

In our project, we use the term alternative citizenship to emphasize that Kurds have, in many different ways, developed alternative strategies of action (both political and non-political) that remain outside the sphere of the institutions and structures of existing states. Their goal is to initiate social and cultural change in their own community, as well as to influence the position of Kurds in the nation states of which they are part. ALCITfem combines a feminist theoretical approach to lived citizenship with theories of everyday resistance and micro-politics.

The project focuses on women activists shaping the space and imagination aimed at transforming their communities while influencing the position of the Kurdish community in a given country. This activity may be based on ordinary everyday practices, but also on well-thought-out initiatives addressed to specific entities and structures. ALCITfem examines Kurdish alternative citizenship by focusing on two interdependent spaces: women-led activism and its moral and cultural foundations.

These research issues will be addressed in relation to the following four thematic areas:

1. The image of women in Kurdish literature and film.
2. Discreet activism of Kurdish women.
3. Creating gender roles in Kurdish families.
4.  

In this way, the project combines an interest in visible and invisible practices with attention to how activism is embedded in cultural and moral traditions. Implemented in four high-class research institutions in Poland and Norway, the project uniquely combines the interdisciplinary nature of a team that will cooperate in conducting interviews, share collected materials and prepare joint publications. As part of ALCITfem, we intend to conduct research in the main centers of Kurdish activism both in Kurdistan and in the diaspora, using local languages ​​known to team members. In addition, we also intend to employ three people who know the Kurdish language as postdocs, and offer one master’s scholarship and one doctoral scholarship, thus supporting the research experience of young scientists and their ability to work in a team. In addition to scientific publications, we also plan to popularize the project by organizing two photographic exhibitions in cooperation with the Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw.

The thematic scope of the project concerns space developed in accordance with the needs of the youngest members of society, treated as an element of building a competitive advantage and solving social problems. This is especially important in the case of cities that are struggling with the problem of depopulation related to the processes of “urban shrinkage”. Therefore, the territorial scope of the planned research will include two urban centers in Poland and Germany, selected according to the demographic deficit criterion: Chrzanów and Altenburg. The results of the research will be the subject of scientific publications and a manual on the principles of shaping a friendly space and good practices. Addressing the issue of child-friendly space, with particular emphasis on shrinking cities, has many justifications. This is an important issue in scientific and socio-economic terms.

Studies relating to depopulation processes mainly concern the economic functioning of individuals. However, there is a visible lack of studies on the factors, methods and social and spatial barriers that inhibit these processes. Moreover, there is a lack of deeper research into the opinions of local authorities and residents about this phenomenon and the role of individual conditions in its development. The planned research can therefore provide representatives of public administration with the necessary knowledge about the directions and methods of action in the socio-spatial sphere as one of the elements of the process of stopping population loss.

An important result of research should also be the provision of information on shaping policy in the field of scientific research in order to increase its practical usefulness and enable the transfer of scientific research results to this public sector. The project will also result in the development of forms and methods of social participation in the process of improving the spatial and functional quality of public places. This research will be conducted using sociological methods (survey, direct interview) and case studies.

Team members: dr Dobrosława Wiktor-Mach (Assistant Professor), dr Joseph Bush (Assistant Professor)