Women of Komala: Gender and Revolution in Iranian Kurdistan

by Fatemeh Karimi, Katharine Hodgkin (Translator), Janet Biehl (Translator)

Overview

“A remarkable story ... Fatemeh Karimi should be commended for her outstanding telling of it” Janet Afary, author of Sexual Politics in Modern Iran

“Reveals how Kurdish women’s military, intellectual, and everyday contributions in the post-revolutionary era challenged traditional hierarchies” Fataneh Farahani, Professor, Stockholm University

“Groundbreaking … Brilliantly intertwines gender, class, national, and political struggle in Kurdistan” Pedram Baldari, Assistant Professor, University of Michigan

Kurdistan has a storied and turbulent past, marked by a relentless struggle for self-determination and survival. Kurdish women have been at the forefront of this struggle: their lives are a testament to resilience in the face of relentless adversity, as they navigate the complexities of revolution and the quest for freedom and equality.

This groundbreaking book is the first comprehensive study of leftist women guerrillas in Iranian Kurdistan, predating the emergence of women fighters in Rojava by more than three decades. Focusing on Komala (1979–1991), a radical Kurdish-Iranian organization pioneering the inclusion of women as combatants, Women of Komala examines the lives and political participation of marginalized women.

Drawing on extensive interviews, the book analyses familial, social, and organizational obstacles; gendered organizational dynamics; patriarchy; the issue of children; and the sexual division of roles within families and the party. This rich account situates Komala within the political context of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and its aftermath, shedding light on the importance of critical reflection on gender relations during this pivotal period in the history of Kurdistan and Iran.

Fatemeh Karimi is an independent researcher, women’s rights activist, and member of the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN). She holds a PhD from the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS), Paris.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780745350837
Publisher:	Pluto Press
Publication date:	06/20/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Fatemeh Karimi is an independent researcher, women's rights activist, and member of the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN). She holds a PhD in Sociology from the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS), Paris. Her research focuses on Kurdish women, gender relations, and ethnicity in Iran and Kurdistan.

Fatemeh Karimi is a Researcher at the Kurdistan Human Rights Network in Paris, where she formerly served as director. She has a PhD in Sociology from the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS), Paris, and previously lectured at the University of Kermanshah in Iran. She is the author of three books.

Janet Biehl was the collaborator of the late Murray Bookchin. She translated Revolution in Rojava by Knapp et al. and the memoirs of the Kurdish revolutionary, Sakine Cansiz.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Part I: Kurdish Women in Revolution: The Path to Engagement
1. Between Repression and Deprivation: Women Under the Pahlevi Dynasty
2. Women’s Subordination in Kurdish Society

Part II: Militant Trajectories Within Komala from the Revolution to 1981
3. The Eruption of Kurdish Women into Organized Political Life
4. The Obstacles to Women’s Political Participation
5. The Socio-Political Activities of Female Militants
6. Becoming a Peshmerga Under State Repression

Part III: Patriarchy in the Lives of the Komala Peshmerga, 1981–1991
7. Peshmerga Women and the Problems of Integration
8. Bodily Discipline and the Peshmerga
9. Family Life Within the Organization
10. The Disappearance of Peshmerga Women
Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

'An epistemic intervention addressing the neglect of Kurdish women’s experiences from Western and Middle Eastern feminist studies, as well as from Kurdish and Iranian studies, fields that have historically overlooked both women and Kurdish perspectives. Drawing on extensive interviews yet written with the immersive depth of longstanding ethnography, Fatemeh Karimi reveals how these women’s military, intellectual, and everyday contributions in post-revolutionary era were essential to the organisation and challenged traditional hierarchies, both in society and within the organisation'
Fataneh Farahani, Professor in Ethnology, Stockholm University

'Women of Komala is a groundbreaking contribution in the field of Kurdish Studies. It brilliantly provides meticulous research that intertwines gender, class, national, and political struggle in Kurdistan, centering on women's role through the political turmoil leading up to and after the 1979 revolution in Iran'
Pedram Baldari, interdisciplinary artist and Assistant Professor in Stamps School of Art and Design, University of Michigan

'Caught between the murderous onslaught of the Islamic Republic, the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88), and their highly traditional families, a generation of brave Kurdish women joined Komala in the villages and mountains of Kurdistan to fight for both autonomy and gender equality. Yet despite all these sacrifices, they have never received equal recognition, not even in death. This is a remarkable story, beautifully translated from French. Fatemeh Karimi should be commended for her outstanding telling of it, which together with the many anecdotes and interviews she brings, provide a vivid real-life texture to this story'
Janet Afary, Distinguished Professor, author of Sexual Politics in Modern Iran

'A fascinating book which brings timely insights into Kurdish Iranian women’s political activism and struggles. Karimi’s in-depth research and thoughtful analysis shine new light on how gender shapes political movements and revolutions in Iran'
Jane Freedman, Professor, Université Paris 8

From the Publisher