The Kurdish women’s movement views women’s liberation as the guarantee for the struggle against patriarchy, state, and capitalism. Women’s autonomous self-organization in all spheres of life is at the heart of Kurdistan’s social revolution. But why women’s autonomy?
In this webinar, Nilüfer Koç will take us through the different stages that have led to Kurdish women’s autonomous self-organization. From the early theory of ‘breaking off’ from traditional, patriarchal gender roles, to the project to ‘killing the man inside’ as the struggle for men’s liberation from patriarchal structures. From the declaration of the women’s liberation ideology and the foundation of an autonomous Kurdish women’s party – to the effort of building up women’s democratic confederalism in Kurdistan.
Nilüfer Koç, born in Ardahan, northern Kurdistan, is member of the Executive Council and spokesperson for the Commission on Foreign Relations of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK). She went to Germany in 1976 as a child of Kurdish migrant workers and studied Biology and Political Science at Bremen. Her current primary political focus is the improvement of national dialogue amongst political parties and civil society organisations in Kurdistan. In addition to promoting unity efforts, Koç is active in the international arena raising awareness of the right to self-determination for the Kurdish people as a means to protecting ethnic and religious aspects of Kurdistan. She is keenly interested and engaged in the active and autonomous participation of women in all fields of society and politics. She has conducted intensive research on the definition of femicide and is part of the effort of recognizing femicide – similar to genocide – as a crime against humanity in international law.