Women and the PKK: Ideology, Gender, and Terrorism
Abstract
Women have had a long and varied participation in terrorist groups. This project explores the role of gender in one of the most prominent armed organizations in the Middle East, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, commonly known as the Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan (PKK). Rejecting the patriarchal values of traditional Kurdish society, the PKK has been particularly receptive to female membership. Insights on the nature of this participation are drawn from an extensive interview with a long-term, high-ranking PKK official. Inspired by secular egalitarian ideology from its inception, the PKK has created an organizational culture that encourages substantial gender equality in recruitment, training, military missions, leadership, and protections against sexual victimization. It is possible that gender equality in the PKK will have a feedback effect on the broader Kurdish society where patriarchal values remain dominant.
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Biographies
Murat Haner is a research administration faculty fellow, Criminology program coordinator, and instructor in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee. He is author of The Freedom Fighter: A Terrorist’s Own Story. His current research focuses on public opinion on policy issues, including gun control, police use of force, and terrorism.
Francis T. Cullen is distinguished research professor emeritus and senior research associate in the School of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati. He is a past president of the American Society of Criminology and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. His interests include redemption as a correctional theory and the organization of criminological knowledge.
Michael L. Benson is professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati. He has published in numerous journals, including Criminology, Justice Quarterly, Journal of Research and Delinquency, American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, and Social Problems. His most recent books include Corporate Crime Under Attack: The Fight to Criminalize Business Violence and White-Collar Crime: An Opportunity Perspective.
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Article first published online: February 13, 2019
Issue published: September 2020
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Published online: February 13, 2019
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