Yazidi Women’s Leadership in the Georgian Diaspora: Roles, Challenges, and Contributions

This encyclopedia entry surveys scholarly and journalistic research on Yazidi women’s leadership within the Georgian diaspora, highlighting historical background, institutional involvement, and contemporary challenges.

Yazidi women’s leadership in the Georgian diaspora (Kurmanji: jinên Êzidî yên serokatiyê li Diasporaya Gurcistanê) refers to the organized, often formal, roles that Yazidi women assume in religious, cultural, and civil‑society institutions of Georgia’s Yazidi community.

Pronunciation & orthography

Kurmanji spelling: jinên Êzidî yên serokatiyê. Arabic‑script: جِنَان عِزْدِي يَن سَرُوكَتِيَ. Cyrillic (Georgian context): ժինեն Եզիդի են սեռոկատիե. IPA: /dʒiˈneːn eːziˈdiː jɛn seɾoˈkaˌti.je/. Common English misspellings include “Yazidi” vs. “Yezidi” and “serokatiye” vs. “serokati”.

Main exposition

Historical context

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Yazidi communities in Armenia and Georgia experienced a sudden removal of state‑imposed atheism, prompting a re‑evaluation of religious identity (1). Women, traditionally bound by patriarchal norms, began to question inherited practices and to claim public spaces for religious expression.

Institutional roles

Since the mid‑2010s, Yazidi women have been instrumental in the institutionalization of Yezidism in Georgia. They helped draft the community Constitution (2024) and participated in the planning of the Tbilisi Yezidi Temple, which was completed in 2022 (2). Women’s committees within the Akhtiarate (Extiyargeh) coordinate ritual education and charitable distribution, ensuring gender‑inclusive governance.

Community initiatives

Activists such as Mikheil Lazginian have highlighted the emergence of youth‑oriented NGOs led by women, focusing on education, language preservation, and inter‑ethnic dialogue (3). The Yazidi Cultural Center of Tbilisi, supported by women’s fundraising networks, now hosts regular workshops on traditional music and the oral canon.

Challenges faced

Yazidi women leaders confront several obstacles: lingering patriarchal attitudes within the community, limited access to state funding, and the broader Georgian political climate that sometimes labels minority NGOs as “foreign agents” (3). Additionally, post‑Communist identity flux can generate mistrust toward new religious institutions (1).

Contributions to revitalization

Through their leadership, Yazidi women have facilitated the transmission of sacred texts, organized pilgrimages to Lalish, and advocated for the inclusion of women’s perspectives in theological curricula at the International Yezidi Theological Academy (2). Their work has been linked to a measurable increase in youth participation in religious ceremonies and a rise in public visibility of Yazidi culture in Tbilisi.

In the oral tradition

Yazidi oral literature contains numerous qewl (hymns) that celebrate the spiritual agency of women, such as the qewl “Xudanê Jinê” which praises the protective role of the Mother Goddess. A representative verse states:

“The Mother of the universe lifts the veil; her daughters bear the fire of faith.”

Scholars note that these verses have been invoked by contemporary women leaders to legitimize their public roles (1).

Scholarly disagreement

Kreynbrock argues that the post‑Communist institutionalization of Yezidism primarily serves state‑driven integration agendas, thereby diluting authentic gendered practices (1). In contrast, Rodziewicz reads the same reforms as a grassroots empowerment movement, emphasizing women’s agency in redefining religious authority (2).

Common misconceptions

Regional variation

While Yazidi women in Sinjar and Sheikhan continue to operate within more rigid tribal structures, Georgian Yazidi women benefit from a comparatively secular legal environment, allowing them to establish NGOs and participate in inter‑faith forums. In the broader Caucasus, similar trends appear in Azerbaijan’s small Yazidi enclave, yet the scale of institutionalization remains limited compared with Georgia.

Timeline

Data table