[PeDAGoG] Remembering A Martyr: REDWEb salutes the life and work of Nagihan Akarsel

Mon Oct 10 03:12:00 CEST 2022

Dear friends,

Last week, *Nagihan Akarsel*, a prominent Kurdish intellectual and
political activist was brutally gunned down in Southern Kurdistan. She was
a dedicated advocate for the Kurdish women's revolution and an inspiration
for people reimagining and reconstructing the framework of democracy, both,
in the Kurdish lands as well as abroad. REDWeb salutes the memory of *Nagihan
Akarsel*. May her life and her commitment to the idea of Jineology,
Democratic Modernity and the realization of the dreams of the Kurdish
people inspire all of us to stay steadfast on our paths toward meaningful
change, and may her martyrdom galvanize us to overcome our own fears to
work boldly to construct a new world defined by socio-economic and
political equality and ecological sanity. We stand in solidarity with all
our comrades and colleagues in the Kurdish lands and beyond in this hour of
mourning and profound sadness.

Copied below is the note of remembrance received from our colleagues at the
"Academy of Democratic Modernity" as well as a link to a deeply reflective
personal tribute to *Nagihan's* effervescent life by *Zilan Diyar*, a
Kurdish women's activist.

https://democraticmodernity.com/in-memory-of-nagihan-akarsel/

We add our voice to the Kurdish slogan, "*Jin, Jiyan, Azadi*!" (Women,
Life, Freedom!)

And, as we say in Hindustani: *"Saathee Nagihan Zindabad!"* (Long live
Comrade Nagihan!)

Our colleagues from "The Academy of Democratic Modernity" and the
"Jineology"  initiative are copied on this email, in case you would like to
express your solidarity with them in their moment of terrible loss.

In solidarity,

Pallav

Remembering *Nagehan Akarsel*

*Nagihan Akarsel* was a prominent figure in the Kurdish community and
politically
active for thirty years. She was a respected journalist and author,
imprisoned for years for her bold and honest views and her active
involvement in Kurdish women's liberation. In Rojava (Eastern Kurdistan),
*Akarsel* promoted a highly innovative educational initiative in the field
of Jineology - the science of women, and in the aftermath of the 2014
genocide and femicide wreaked on the women of Shengal (Sinjar) by the
Islamic State (ISIS), she pursued an incisive and crucial investigation to
bring the culprits to justice. Most recently, *Akarsel *worked with women
from Southern Kurdistan at the Jineology Research Centre, where  she
established a Kurdish women's library, and also edited the "Jineology"
magazine. Last Tuesday, *Akarsel* was gunned down with eleven shots in
front of her flat in Sulaymaniyah (Southern Kurdistan). While the culprits
have been arrested and an investigation is underway, all signs point to a
state sponsored assasination.

With *Akarsel's* brutal murder, a warning has been sent to everyone working
on the significant task of organizing and crafting the intellectual
underpinnings of a movement for radical freedom for women. However, the
commitment to pursue *Akarsel's *dreams is deeply set in the ideology and
practice of Jineology. We are aware that activists and intellectuals,
especially women who work with clarity and determination to build the path
to a liberated society are a threat to the existing system. But, the memory
of our comrade, *Nagihan Akarsel* and our deep commitment to her
convictions gives us the strength to pursue our goal of "Democratic
Modernity" in the inspiring company of our colleagues from the Jineology
initiative.

In solidarity,

Academy Of Democratic Modernity
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