The Kurdistan Freedom Movement at a Crossroads

The 2026 international study days of the Italian Network of Kurdish Studies examine the Kurdish Freedom Movement at a critical crossroads, bringing together historical research, political sociology, gender studies, political theory, and conflict analysis. The programme focuses on the movement’s historical roots, the ideological shifts that have shaped it, and ongoing reconfiguration processes across Syria, Turkey, Iran, and diasporic networks.

Across the two days, the event features sessions on Kurdish parties in Arab Syria, transformations within the PKK, transnational alliances, democratisation, disarmament and militias, Kurdish women’s struggles and care practices, mobilisation in Iran, and wider debates on resistance, guerrilla politics, and post-conflict imaginaries. The programme also includes presentations of RISC publications and a concluding roundtable with scholars, journalists, and political representatives.

Programme (summary)

• 26 March 2026: institutional greetings, presentation of RISC publications, two thematic panels, and a roundtable on the PKK’s decline in Syria and its regional effects
• 27 March 2026: sessions on disarmament and demilitarisation, youth activism and education in North-East Syria, international publications, a panel on Iran, and a final roundtable on the Kurdish movement’s political future

Posters