Last modified: 2024-09-16
Abstract
This paper presents the educational narratives of a group of young Iraqi women who were internally displaced to the Kurdistan region and other parts of Iraq following the 2014 ISIS invasion of Mosul and Nineveh Plain.
The women - aged between 18 and 28 and represent diverse cultural backgrounds, including Yazidi, Shabak, Christian, and Sunni Arab, recount their experiences and the challenges they faced in accessing education within the complex political, socioeconomic, cultural, and traditional contexts during and after the 2014 conflict and displacement. These challenges include both facilitating and obstructing access to formal, informal, and non-formal educational opportunities.
The young women's life history accounts are co-constructed and interpreted using data gathered from individual, repeated interviews and art-based productions. Their stories are understood through the lens of social justice as parity of participation (Fraser, 2008). The narratives provide insights into the women's different perceptions of social justice in relation to their education within their conflict-affected environments. Their perspectives, influenced by their diverse life paths, socioeconomic backgrounds, and educational levels and affiliations, also delve into the role of formal and informal education in facilitating or impeding sustainable peacebuilding in Iraq.
The significance of this work lies in its recognition of the importance of amplifying the voices of women, whose educational experiences were often under-represented during times of extreme adversity for women in Iraq. By centring the voices of young Iraqi women, this research aims to provide valuable insights into their social and educational experiences and aspirations. Such insights will inform similar studies conducted with women in conflict-affected contexts. Moreover, it seeks to inform local and international educational efforts, both formal and informal, aimed at supporting women impacted by war and displacement to challenge social injustices and barriers to pursuing their educational goals and contributing to sustainable peacebuilding in and through education