The modes and outcomes of interaction of (im) mobile Kurdish women with public space: a cross-cultural comparative study of different urban contexts

2026-07-22

In the literature, not much has been reported on Kurdish urbanism in Kurdistan (a region in the Middle East traditionally inhabited mainly by Kurds) in general and women’s public space in particular, especially its socio-spatial implications for their everyday lives. For this reason, its particularities have largely remained unnoticed in the urban research debates concerning the Middle Eastern region. This is especially important if we consider Kurdish women’s interaction with public space in a cross-cultural comparative study in different urban contexts that Kurdish women have experienced. They can narrate different kinds of engagement, the challenges they are confronted with and the strategies they have gained to overcome gender inequality leading to their self-empowerment in social life. There are hardly any specific analyses concerning the modes and extent of Kurdish migrant women’s interaction with public space in European cities, particularly how this new spatial context affects their social lives and their empowerment. The number of Kurdish people is increasing in Western European cities: Based on the prestigious Institut Kurde in Paris, the most current estimates indicate the presence of about 1.5 to 1.7 million Kurds in Western Europe, out of these about 850,000 to 950,000 in Germany and 80,000 to 95,000 in Austria. Consequently, this line of research requires more attention from both international and national contexts in order to understand the experiences, challenges and needs of these urban dwellers in design and production of inclusive public spaces that are suitable for multicultural groups and that provide the possibility of an intercultural dialogue. The results of this proposed innovative research project could help find ways of making better connections between their everyday experiences as (im) migrants and public spaces as a constituent element of their social lives.

Austria

2026-02-01