Gunes Tezcur, PhD – PI (Political Science)

University of Notre Dame – GRRI International Collaboration Grant

After the last “Firman:” Victimhood, Survival and Societal Transformation among the Yazidis

The project develops a comprehensive study of the Yazidis at three interrelated dimensions: (a) the transformation and resiliency of Yazidi beliefs and norms in the wake of the genocidal violence, (b) the evolution of gender relations among the Yazidis in the wake of sexual enslavement of Yazidi women, and (c) the nature of relations between Yazidis and Sunni Arabs and Kurds. It makes a significant contribution to scholarly research on religion in two ways. First, it will integrate the study of Yazidis into the mainstream social science literature on religion, political violence, post-conflict reconciliation, and gender relations. Next, it entails a bottom-up perspective entailing extensive fieldwork that will document the diversity of the Yazidi experience beyond simplistic narratives.