EPISTEMOLOGICAL VIOLENCE AGAINST THE YAZIDI COMMUNITY: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Yazidis are an ethno-religious group originating from Greater Kurdistan, which includes parts of modern-day Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. They have been victimized heavily in the recent past. This research deals with the issues related to the peculiarities of epistemic violence that resulted in socio-religious conflicts, genocides and persecutions of the Yazidis as a socio-religious minority at the hands of Muslims, Christians and others. It explains how physical violence and epistemic violence go hand-in-hand and how religion was used to other Yazidis by declaring them adversaries and devil worshippers, and subjecting them to persecution as well as epistemological violence in the Mesopotamian region. From Gayatri Spivak to Kristie Dotson, many scholars have explained and analyzed the concept of epistemic violence, applying this theory to different empirical cases. This paper analyzes the mysterious case of the Yazidis through the lenses of epistemic violence. The researchers have used empirical evidence and scholarly reviews to highlight and elaborate the case of othering, marginalizing and victimizing Yazidis by using religion as a tool.