Overview

Gender-based violence constitutes a structural and persistent form of inequality that shapes social relations, legal systems, and political responses across different societies. In West Asian countries, gender-based violence intersects with authoritarian governance, armed conflict, migration, and deeply rooted patriarchal norms, producing specific patterns of vulnerability as well as resistance.

This course examines gender-based violence in West Asia through feminist and queer perspectives, with a particular focus on physical, sexualized, economic, and psychological violence against women, children, and queer individuals. Special attention is paid to domestic violence, femicide, so-called “honour” killings, female genital mutilation, violence in conflict settings, and violence affecting displaced and migrant populations.

The course combines comparative regional analysis (Northern Caucasus, Southern Caucasus, and Iran) with an exploration of legal frameworks, social practices, and forms of resistance. It critically engages with activism, women’s initiatives, and survival strategies such as migration and evacuation, highlighting how individuals and communities contest violence and create alternative spaces of agency.