ABSTRACT
Genocide is a violent process of destruction and rupture that leads to the creation of a traumatized and disconnected underclass. It feeds off widespread negative perceptions of particular groups and enhances the social and political inequalities already inherent in a society. Genocidal practices target men and women differently. While men are usually selected for destruction, women, who are perceived as bearers of a community’s ‘honour’ and its future generations, are targeted by sexual violence and forced impregnation. After reviewing the literature in the field of gender and genocide and tracing its development, this chapter studies women’s experiences of two cases of genocide in Kurdistan-Iraq. More specifically, it discusses the Anfal genocide in 1988 and the Ezidi genocide in 2014 with a particular focus on sexual violence. Comparing the experiences of female survivors of two different genocides in the same region helps us understand how the dominant discourses of the time influence women’s narrations, endurance, and survival.
