No Place to Call Home: The Iraqi Kurds under the Ba’ath, Saddam Hussein, and ISIS

The Kurds are the world’s largest ethnonational group without their own state. They have often been the target of ethnic strife and discrimination. Even within their semi-autonomous territory, Iraqi Kurds have faced humiliation and oppression. This essay argues that the Kurds in Iraq have been deprived of their property and dignity and hence have been subjected to “dignity takings.” This occurred in three distinct phases: the 1970s under “Ba’athification,” the 1980s under Saddam Hussein, and at present under the Islamic State (ISIS). During each phase, the Kurds have suffered involuntary property loss through forced relocations and the destruction of homes and entire villages, and are victims of dehumanization and infantilization through mass killings, ethnic cleansing, and the denial of self-determination. This paper confirms that the Iraqi Kurds fit within the scope of the emerging field of dignity takings, and seeks to expand the parameters of infantilization to include the denial of self-determination