Academic Books

How can women entrepreneurs in post-ISIS Kurdistan overcome traditional gender regimes that limit their success?

In Poor Dad, Rich Daughter, Kaziwa Salih examines the unique challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in Başûr, Iraq. The book focuses on two groups: those supported by NGOs and self-sponsored microentrepreneurs. Salih highlights the gender-related obstacles these women face, the ethical agency they display, and the impact of traditional family roles on their entrepreneurial journeys. Despite NGO support, the lack of essential technology and marketing knowledge has led to the failure of some businesses. The book delves into the complex dynamics of gender regimes, as experienced firsthand by Kurdish women who resist these systemic challenges.

This book is ideal for scholars and students in Middle Eastern studies, gender studies, and entrepreneurship, as well as practitioners and advocates interested in the intersection of gender, culture, and economic development in post-conflict regions.

The Palgrave Handbook of Kurdish Genocides
Oct 28, 2025, Palgrave Macmillan

This handbook provides a comprehensive and in-depth exploration of the historical, social, and political dimensions of the Kurdish genocide. Through empirical research and diverse perspectives, this handbook presents insights into the tragedy's origins, complexities, and far-reaching consequences. This resource delves into the historical context, unravelling the intricacies of the Kurdish genocide using a multidisciplinary approach. It traces into the experiences of Kurdish communities, examining the profound impact of the genocide on identity, displacement, and cultural preservation. By placing the genocide in a broader regional context, the handbook facilitates comparisons with other genocidal events, promoting a global understanding of the Kurdish tragedy. What sets this handbook apart is its inclusivity, with contributions from scholars, experts, and individuals directly affected by the genocide, providing thorough and nuanced examination of Kurdish experiences. Organized thematically, the handbook covers historical context, significant events, social implications, international responses, and ongoing struggles for justice. Each chapter provides a comprehensive analysis supported by rigorous research, scholarly references, and educational components. Beyond serving as a scholarly reference, this Handbook will encourage critical thinking, empathy, and awareness of the complex issues surrounding the genocide, implicated human rights, and conflict. It will equip readers with the knowledge needed to engage in informed discussions, promote dialogue, and contribute to preventing future atrocities. Serving as an essential resource for academics, researchers, students, policymakers, and human rights advocates, this handbook calls for a future that rejects genocide and embraces justice, reconciliation, and respect for all communities in the Kurdistan region and beyond.

Genocide Culture Cultural Habitus, Ethnic Engineering and Religious Doxa.
Routledge · Oct 15, 2024

The author conceptualizes “genocide culture," "civilian actors," the "deistic code of honor," and other factors to explore both hard and soft forms of crime that precede and extend beyond acts of state violence. It examines how genocide emerges not only through state violence but also through deeper cultural, social, and ideological processes that normalize exclusion and hostility toward targeted groups. Drawing on sociological concepts such as cultural habitus and doxa, the book argues that everyday beliefs, institutional practices, and political ideologies can gradually create a “genocide culture” in which discrimination, demographic engineering, and violence become socially acceptable and rationalized. The work explores how nationalism, religious narratives, and state policies contributed to systematic displacement, linguistic suppression, and mass violence by focusing on the historical experience of the Kurds in Iraq as a central case study. By linking cultural sociology and sociology of crime with genocide studies, the book offers a framework for understanding how ordinary social norms and institutions can enable large-scale atrocities long before physical destruction begins or how micro-aggression can foster macro-aggression.