| ID | 190222 |
| Title Proper | Kurds Have Not Made Love Their Aim |
| Other Title Information | Love, Sexuality, Gender, and Drag in Ehmedê Xanî's Mem û Zîn |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Leezenberg, Michiel ; Michiel Leezenberg |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This paper explores the concepts and norms of gender and sexuality in Ehmedê Xanî's 17th-century mathnawi poem Mem û Zîn, nowadays regarded as the Kurdish national epic. A reading of this poem with the aid of the conceptual tools of gender studies and the history of sexuality reveals how different its norms and concepts are not only from modern Kurdish ones, but also from those of classical Persian literature. Although the poem does not hint at any taboo concerning male love for beardless boys, it does display a remarkable asymmetry between male and female same-sex desire; it also displays distinct views of legitimate and transgressive sexuality. Thus, this poem encourages a more historicizing view of the gendered and sexual dimensions of modern (Kurdish and other) nationalism, and a greater attention for the distinct characteristics of vernacular literatures within the premodern ‘Persianate cosmopolitan.’ |
| `In' analytical Note | International Journal of Middle East Studies Vol. 54, No.4; Nov 2022: p. 705 - 724 |
| Journal Source | International Journal of Middle East Studies 2022-12 54, 4 |
| Key Words | Gender ; Sexuality ; Kurdish Literature ; Mysticism |