"Martyrdom and Nationalism in Kurdish Poetry"

  • Date: Dec 3, 2009
  • Time: 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Mariwan Kanie (Amsterdam)
  • Mariwan Kanie comes originally from Iraqi Kurdistan. Since 1993 he lives and works in Holland. Recently he is writing a Doctoral thesis on martyrdom at the University of Amsterdam and teaches the intellectual history of Arab and Islamic world at the same university.
  • Location: MPI-MMG, Hermann-Föge-Weg 12, Göttingen
  • Room: Conference Room
"Martyrdom and Nationalism in Kurdish Poetry"
In co-operation with the Iranian Studies Seminar, Göttingen University.


For more details please contact zhang(at)mmg.mpg.de.

Martyrdom is a religious notion originating from the monotheistic religions, notably Christianity and Islam. Religious martyrdom means dying for God or for the belief. Nationalism rearticulates this readiness to death and transforms it to a radical form of national love; the self-sacrificing political love for the nation and the motherland. The Kurdish nationalism offers a unique opportunity to trace the development of the notion of political martyrdom and its secular rearticulation. The role of the Kurdish poetry is crucial in this process.


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