Yazidi survivor, activist and U.N. goodwill ambassador for the dignity of survivors of human trafficking Nadia Murad was jointly awarded the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize with Congolese gynecologist Denis Mukwege earlier this month. My research attempts to complicate that picture, by examining the changing ways Yazidis perceive and practice gender after the genocide. Female survivors can get vocal about their experiences and those of others who suffered and survived the conflict. My initial findings suggest that there is a potential for gender-equal developments as Yazidi women may find space to exert their agency and gain new rights. Violence might have some positive transformative effects for Yazidi women in terms of gender liberation, but it also risks the dissolution of Yazidi identity.

Source: Washington Post October 30, 2018 10:01 UTC