Associate Professor Dr. Choman Hardi delivered the keynote address at the second Kurdish Studies Conference, a collaborative effort between the LSE and Sheffield University. Held from May 22nd to 23rd, 2024, at the University of Sheffield, the conference was organized by the LSE Middle East Centre and the Department of Politics and International Relations at Sheffield University. It was sponsored by Atlantic Fellows at the LSE and featured 21 panels, showcasing the research of 72 scholars to an audience of 140 delegates. Both Deema Alchuristany, a current student at AUIS, and Saman Ihsan Abdalkarim, a former student and a PhD candidate at the University of Exeter, presented papers during the conference.
In her presentation titled ‘Feminist Kurdish Studies,’ Dr. Hardi provided a contextual overview of the evolution of feminist Kurdish studies and went on to explore the dimensions and parameters of this kind of research. She addressed the complexities of researcher positionality, emphasizing that feminist research transcends mere amplification of women’s voices, urging for critical reflections on power dynamics, ethical engagement, and the ethics of care as well as acting in the spirit of solidarity. Dr. Hardi drew from her own fieldwork, and proposed strategies to navigate these challenges. The presentation was well received, sparking a vibrant discussion and marking a significant milestone as the first time a woman was featured as the keynote speaker in a Kurdish Studies Conference.
Some twits about the talk: