by Fatemeh Karimi, Translated by Janet Biehl
Pluto Press
6/28/2025, paperback
SKU: 9780745350820
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.
Reviews:
"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
"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
About the Contributors:
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.